Avatar: The Last Airbender Book III: Earth
by Luna Kahlo
Summary: The saga continues! In the second part of the trilogy, four of the main characters tell a slice of the journey from their point of view. The Avatar's weapon is being constructed, Aang may not be the last Airbender, and Sokka has to scale a glass mountain
1. Chapter 1

**METAL**

**I.**

The Jasmine tea is good this year. The Fire Nation farmers use volcanic soil to grow the best tea leaves. Very soothing.

My nephew, sadly, does not care for such simple pleasures as a good cup of tea. He is pre-occupied by many things lately, but none more than his search for the Avatar. He is young and impatient, and fights with his muscle and not his breath. He has a long way to go towards being the next ruler of the Fire Nation. There is too much of his father still in him.

I watch my sleepy nephew stumble to the breakfast table. He must have had a late night. He often meditates for hours at night and sometimes forgets to sleep. Although, last night I could have sworn I heard voices coming from this very dining chamber. And I'm sure my nephew knows _nothing_ about that.

"Good morning, Prince Zuko."

" 'Morning, Uncle."

"Long night?" He glared at me with bloodshot eyes.

"I don't want to talk about it." I didn't suppose he would. From the looks of him, I'd guess he had talked plenty last night.

"Good weather today. The skies are cloudless. Should be easy to spot the Avatar. We must be gaining since our departure from the North Pole," I replied, making small talk. Prince Zuko didn't speak; he set about eating his breakfast in silence.

"Perhaps we should question the water bender on the Avatar's location again. After all, that is why you chose to bring her on the ship." Zuko remained silent. I pressed on.

"Or, maybe you would like me to ask her. I can be quite persuasive and she may not tell you where the Avatar is if she knew the reason…"

"I will interrogate the water bender, Uncle." I shrugged.

"Suit yourself. The Hün-dai can be very stubborn." My nephew choked on his breakfast.

"How'd you know she was of the Hün-dai?" I gave him an innocent smile.

"Lucky guess?" Zuko frowned.

"I used to court her aunt Chi-hü. The Hün-dai women all have beautiful green eyes. Oh, and the family mark on her wrist confirmed my suspicions," I said, taking a sip of tea.

"So, you've known who she was all this time?" My poor nephew-he gets so upset when secrets are kept from him.

"Well, until recently, I only had a hunch. Besides, would you have rather heard the truth from me, Prince Zuko, or from her?" I watched him lower his eyes, perhaps reflecting on the previous night's conversation. I liked this girl; she brought out patience in my nephew.

"After you, uh, interrogate her, why don't you both come up to the deck for your training?" I stood up from the table. My nephew stared at me with a suspicious eye.

"Why does she need to be present during a fire bender's practice?"

"The best way to know your enemy, Prince Zuko, is to know how they fight. And I would very much like to see how a water bender fights. Wouldn't you agree?" As I turned to leave, I could see in his face he not only had seen the water bender train, but was eager to watch again.

II.

It must be said- the water bender is very interesting. Not only is she chief of her tribe at the young age of fifteen, but she is the last of an old bloodline of fire benders. How is this possible, you ask? Well, it seems her mother, a chief of the water persuasion married her father, Taro Hün-dai. Their child, Lenara, was taken from the North Pole water tribe when a plague devastated their village and threatened her infant life. Her father, then a widow, took his daughter home to the Fire Nation, but he was executed for treason. How do I know all this? Well, I have my way of picking up information, mostly by way of pressing my ear to a door and listening very hard.

Lenara is, from the Agni-kai she had with Prince Zuko, an accomplished and inventive water bender. Alas, whatever remains of her fire soul from her father has yet to be seen. All fire benders create fire in their soul, force it out with their breath, and command it with their bodies.

She seems to command something else, however, as evident when she fought my nephew. In a bind, she's known to improvise and seemed to have shaken Prince Zuko's concentration when she kissed him during their Agni-kai!

But there is something that piques my suspicions: Taro Hün-dai was rumored to have spent some time at the temple of Avatar Roku as a monk before he abandoned the Fire Nation for the North Pole. He was said to have a collection of clues of the current Avatar before the Avatar submerged himself in the South Pole. Though the Avatar has returned, the clues could still be useful. The Avatar had many old weapons and it would make my nephew's journey much smoother if we kept them from the Avatar. Some of the clues were confiscated by a Fire General when Taro was interrogated, but went missing shortly after the execution. Perhaps the General kept those clues-we fire benders are an ambitious lot. That is not what bothers me. My concern is that those clues were not Taro Hün-dai's only legacy to finding and protecting the Avatar. And whatever mission the monks were rumored to have given him may not have died with him.

Now you see my concern.

III.

I found my nephew on deck shortly after breakfast. Two other guards, tying on their fireproof armor, stood behind him.

"Did you get an answer from the water bender as to the Avatar's location?" Zuko removed his boots.

"Not yet. I thought it better to 'earn' her trust first."

"Very clever, Prince Zuko. How are you going to do that?" My young nephew flashed a sinister grin.

"Watch and see." We all turned in time to see Lenara walk up the steps and out onto the deck. She tossed her blue robe off as she strode towards us and paused to remove her boots, leaving everything in a heap on the deck. She walked like a warrior who would enjoy the fight no matter how it ended. She stopped in front of Zuko, leaving him with little personal space in which to squirm. I enjoyed watching my nephew with this girl-he seemed more like a person and less like the Fire Lord's appendage.

"Good morning." I watched my nephew hold her gaze.

"G-good morning." Very suave, nephew.

"'Morning, General Iroh. Forgive my tardiness. Something required my attention," she said, bowing in my direction.

"That's all right, water chief. We were just beginning," I turned to my nephew, "begin with the basic training, Prince Zuko." Zuko opened his mouth to protest; he feels he is above simple techniques, but the water bender folded her arms, giving Zuko her full attention, and he decided to use her interest to his advantage.

I watched her observe the training. She was focused, studying the fighters' form and force. Zuko seemed to capture her attention from time to time, but she mostly concentrated on the fire being released. A sudden misguided fire stream flashed our way and she was quick to deflect it with a spray of water from the sea. 'Pretty good reflexes,' I thought.

"Enough." I held out my arm, putting a stop to the fight. Zuko was winded, but glowed from the training.

"Well done, Prince Zuko. Fire bending is a very difficult thing to master," I mentioned to Lenara, "It is considered more advanced and graceful than, oh, water bending, for example." Lenara's cheeks held some pink and she raised her eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"Hmm?"

"I must have had some water in my ears, did you just say _fire bending_ is more graceful than water bending?" It was my turn for mock surprise.

"It isn't?" She narrowed her eyes, but surrendered as a smile circled her face.

"Alright, General Iroh, I'll play your little game. On one condition…"

"Yes?"

"Tell them to forget I'm a girl." She walked past Zuko. I nodded, signaling the two fire benders to use lethal force. The three fighters bowed. Lenara waved her hand at them, inviting them to attack. The fire benders both released a fire ball. Lenara swept a wave of water over the first, then ran at the second fire ball, slid under it, quenched it with a water attack that didn't require her to turn, and picked up speed, knocking the first soldier to the ground with a well place water stream that seemed almost whip-like. She turned to the second soldier, but he lashed out with two close-range flames. Lenara used her bare arms to block the sudden attack, then consumed the soldier within a vortex of water, soaking herself in the process.

The first soldier had recovered and charged at the water bender, slamming his foot to the ground to summon his fire. She arced behind him in a quick back flip and pushed him away with a blast of water. The other soldier came around from behind, grabbed Lenara with a bear hug and lifted her off the ground.

That surprised me. I would have thought she'd have kept a better eye on her enemies' positions.

"She let down her guard," Zuko said. Lenara closed her eyes, grimacing from the pressure, and the air suddenly felt colder. She pulled away from the soldier, breaking solid chunks of her tunic off as she turned to look at the man she had just frozen solid. Oh, I liked this girl.

"It appears he let his guard down, too," I commented. Zuko turned to me.

"I thought water benders could only freeze the water around them. How did she…"

"Her clothes were wet, Prince Zuko," I smiled, "she made sure to use an attack early on that would dampen her clothes on the off chance someone decided to restrain her." The remaining soldier, who had watched this small girl freeze his partner, took a step back. She struck an Agni-kai fighting stance (where she learned that I cannot begin to guess), then ran towards the last soldier, skating on ice as she had when she fought my nephew. She dodged the first fire stream; the second, just narrowly. The soldier was beginning to panic and swung out with his arm to catch Lenara as she came past. Lenara slipped, tumbled forward, caught herself in a hand stand and lifting her right hand from the ground, shot a stream of water at the soldier. He went down. Lenara bent forward and righted herself, examining her burned arms. She glanced at me.

"Well, you were right, Iroh. They were pretty graceful…at getting their butts kicked by a FIFTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL!" I wasn't surprised she did so well. Her father was an accomplished fighter. He had taught his daughter well. However, not a hint of her fire soul had shown itself during the entire fight. It was almost disappointing.

She started to walk back to where her robe lay on the deck. Suddenly, the frozen soldier broke free and, not knowing the fight was over, shot a fire ball at Lenara. I moved to block it, but my nephew, for once, was quicker. He pushed her away and they both hit the rough metal of the deck. I signaled to the thawing soldier the match was over. Zuko was furious. He stood up and would have challenged the man had I not whispered in his ear.

"Remember your plan, Prince Zuko. You've earned her trust. Now complete it by taking her to the infirmary to wrap those hands of hers-the backs still look blistered from blocking the fire." Prince Zuko turned, scowling at the soldier, and reached down to help Lenara up. One thing is certain-like her aunt Chi-hü, she has the talent of making a simple face look extraordinary by leveling you with her eyes. My poor nephew never stood a chance.

"You okay?"

"That was…unexpected. Thanks, Zuko." The two walked down the stairs. I watched them depart. My bones ached. I was getting too old for conspiracy. I will help my nephew regardless, but betraying this girl is weighing on me much more than it should. And I had a feeling that we needed to move quickly to get her help- I sensed she would not be with us long.

IV.

I have often sat and contemplated the future. What kind of ruler will my nephew be? What will become of our Fire Nation? And the Avatar- will he be able to stop my brother's war and restore the peace this weary world shouts for?

By this time, I am usually on my second bottle of Fire Saki. But today I am sober, down near the furnaces where the crew gathers. Bajoü, a squinty-eyed, wiry man, plays the fiddle. A bit off-key, but pleasant enough. The men sing in loud, half inebriated voices of glory and days gone past. Every so often, in the shadows, the water bender lingers to listen.

If Prince Zuko captures the Avatar, he will turn the child over to his father, Fire Lord Ozai. He believes his father will then restore his honor, but I know my brother better than that. Forgiveness is a thing my brother is hardly capable of. The last thing I want is for my nephew's trials to be in vain, but his quest for the Avatar may prove to be just that and as much as I try to explain, the young man simply refuses to believe he will not be welcomed back to his home. The only reason I continue to help Prince Zuko is because if he does succeed in getting his title back, he will number his father's days on the throne, a fact that personally makes me pleased.

But even if Zuko is granted the crown and he restores the damage caused by his father's war, he will still have to clean up the negotiations of peace with the other nations. That may prove difficult-a fire bender is seen as little else but a ruthless, angry butcher of innocents. And oh, how we've embraced that title. It sickens me to hear of husbands dead and mother's bereft of their children.

I remember once asking Zuko how he felt about the massacres.

"I hate the smell," he replied. As did anyone who cannot stomach the stench of burning flesh. Prince Zuko had endured his own. He seems to have grown tired of seeing innocent people, his countrymen and strangers alike, burned alive.

And Lenara-her father was baptized in the flames of treason. Poor child, she watched as her father was consumed.

There is no doubt in my mind my nephew belongs on that throne, saving his people from my brother's possessed notion of dominance and power. When Zuko becomes the Fire Lord, I will not serve on his council-I am too old to abuse myself with politics. However, he will need a sturdy council. Those who follow his father are too old and prudish, cruel and simpering towards the current Fire Lord. Perhaps our hopes now lie in the hands of our children; those who, like my nephew, are coming of age and are ready to shoulder the responsibility of their world if only we would give them the chance. And as I watch the young water bender and consider the Avatar, I think to myself perhaps this world will grow green and strong again. If Lenara and the boy and girl accompanying the Avatar are any indication of our children, then we have no reason to despair. All Lenara seems to do is strive and fight and encourage my nephew. The children with the Avatar do no less for him.

They are all too young to worry about such things, and yet here they stand, cast in the middle of a war they did not start and are forbidden friendships they cannot deny.

My heart aches for the innocent, for they are truly the casualties of this war.

V.

The next evening, I was sitting down at my Pi-sho table when Lenara dropped onto the cushion across from me.

"Evening, General Iroh."

"Good evening. You know, if you sit across a die-hard Pi-sho player, it is considered an immediate challenge." She simply smiled.

"Challenge accepted," I said, dumping the ivory tiles onto the lacquered table. Lenara took her set and I mine. We did a quick 'Stone, Fire Water' competition and after we both chose stone, I won and we began.

As we moved into the game, I could sense her strategy. She had a very straightforward, no nonsense plan and wasn't going to stray from it. So much like Zuko. I, on the other hand, prefer rogue moves and several small battles at once. This probably comes from my years of being a General, but as the old saying goes, if it isn't burnt, don't freeze it.

"So," I began, "what news of the Avatar?"

"If Zuko can't persuade me to tell him where the Avatar is, what makes you think you can?" I watched her capture my Rat piece.

"Lenara, Prince Zuko will find the Avatar eventually. Since your people were able to track him, he naturally needs your help."

"You mean he needs me to betray Aang to that he can recapture the honor he never lost? No deal." She surrendered her Bear piece to my Monkey tile.

"Try to understand; my nephew is a complicated young man. He wants to reclaim his birthright so he can overthrow Fire Lord Ozai and stop the war. The only way he can return to the Fire Nation as a Prince is with the Avatar."

"I've gathered as much, but you seem to think your nephew will save this world all on his own. The Avatar will bring the balance back to this world. Zuko has his mission to stop the war and it is by no means any less important than what Aang is trying to accomplish. He can overthrow his father, I know he can. I just wish he knew it, too. Then he would see he doesn't need the Avatar as a bargaining chip-he needs the Avatar as an ally." She watched as I moved another piece. Those green Hün-dai eyes seemed to penetrate through me.

"General Iroh, unlike your narrow scope, my mission extends past the worries of the Fire Nation. The whole world is crying out for justice and freedom from Lord Ozai's tyranny. Why should the Fire Nation alone benefit from the end of this war?" She was moving her tiles into a final surrender of my Dragon piece. I stopped a Pi-sho with my new Lotus tile.

"Do you know how long Prince Zuko has been banished from his home?"

"Over two years."

"Yes. I do not care for my brother very much. It was by his hand my nephew has his scar."

"I know."

"Then you know I ask for your help not because of the Fire Nation, but because of my nephew." Lenara looked at me. I knew she carried the responsibility of her executed father very seriously, but I could see the genuine pain of regret in her eyes. It seemed some part of her did want to help my nephew.

"I'm sorry for Prince Zuko's exile, Iroh. It wasn't fair. He never asked for that. However, his reconcile is not above the rest of the world's. I told him when he first brought me captive on this ship that I would not assist him by betraying the Avatar. He knows why." She slapped down her Tiger tile in front of my Dragon.

"Pi-sho." I stared, bewildered. She was planning a side attack all this time! Lenara stood up from the table.

"You knew of my father's search for the Avatar, General Iroh?" I nodded.

"He has passed his mission on to me."

"I've gathered. You are…searching for something?" She gave me a guarded smile.

"The Avatar has returned. The banished Prince has been found. I merely have a gift to bestow. "

"But which of the two will receive this gift of yours?" She lowered her eyes. Those Hün-dai lived for their secrets.

"Congratulations-you asked the right question, Iroh. Not that I'll tell you or anything," she grinned. She turned to the door and stopped.

"If I could, I would help him."

"Yes," I said, "I have no doubt you would." She left. I sat at the table, contemplating the gift she spoke of. I could only imagine what kind of gift she'd give to my nephew! I shook my head. No time to worry about this. I had more pressing matters to attend…like how she beat me at Pi-sho!

A guard raced into the room.

"General Iroh! Prince Zuko has spotted the Avatar!"

VI.

I reached the deck in time to see my nephew ordering the cannons to be loaded. He was always so impatient in battle. I looked up and saw the Avatar's white bison making lazy circles in the sky. That seemed odd. The Avatar was usually in a hurry to get past our Fire Navy ship. Why linger above it?

"Prince Zuko," I advised, "the Avatar is trying to draw our attention."

"What are you talking about, Uncle?"

"Look at the flight pattern of the bison. He is not avoiding capture. He is trying to…" before I could speak further, the Avatar's animal shot away from us eastward.

"You were saying, Uncle? Follow the Avatar!" Lenara raced over to the rail in time to catch sight of the Avatar. I watched her reaction, but it was carefully guarded. She turned to leave, but Zuko caught her arm.

"Looks like the Avatar decided to show himself." His grin was smug and cold.

"Looks that way."

"Good thing we didn't have to rely on your father's clues. They might have led us the wrong way. Old scraps of junk from the past have a tendency to be misleading." What was he doing? Did he not remember their conversation yesterday? Shocked by his sudden rudeness, she seemed to bite back her fury, though her fists were curled tight.

"It's a shame you can't see past your scar at the bigger picture, Zuko. I would have expected more from you," she muttered, turning away. Zuko, for once, held in the insult. It may have been a trick of the light, but he looked ashamed as he walked past Lenara to the stairs up to the helmsman's tower.

Why would Zuko goad her when he claimed to want her trust? What was he up to?

We followed the Avatar to a small jutting shoreline, where he disappeared among the trees. Prince Zuko ordered the ship to dock. We were going ashore.

Zuko walked down the gangplank, scanning the trees. Lenara smelled what I caught a scent of-another Fire Navy ship.

"We're not alone," she told me.

"Yes. Someone else has been tracking the Avatar." I caught up with Zuko and told him the news.

"Then we'd better get moving." Prince Zuko took a few of the soldiers, myself and Lenara with him into the dense forest, leaving the crew behind in case we needed to make a hasty escape. We scouted the brush below and the branches above. The Avatar and his child companions were light and nimble, so the foliage aloft or the frantic shrubbery beneath our feet would provide excellent coverage. A branch snapped from above. We headed in that direction. A murmured voice was stifled. We pressed on. I realized we were being lead deeper into the forest. I stopped my nephew.

"This is a trap. The Avatar is baiting us."

"Or someone else," Lenara muttered just within earshot. My nephew turned to me.

"We need to draw them out." Lenara walked towards a cluster of shrubs and knelt in front of them. She snatched a torn piece of cloth from one of the bushes. It was the color of the orange cloak of the Avatar. Zuko took the cloth from her. I strained my senses, listening for footsteps. This seemed too easy, too obvious…

"I don't like this, Uncle."

"Me neither," Lenara said, suddenly nervous. She sniffed the air, then grabbed Zuko's arm, smelling the cloth. Her eyes narrowed.

"I know that scent. It's familiar. From my past…"

"You're past? Wait.." Zuko stepped in front of Lenara. The soldiers shouted their alarm. I held up my hands in surrender before the other soldiers emerged from the brush. We were out-numbered. One of the guards tied my hands together. Two of them restrained my hot blooded nephew, trying in vain to bind his hands together. Lenara held still as they tied her hands at the wrists. She yanked them away just as they finished and stepped towards one of the soldiers.

"Where is the Avatar?" He shoved her backwards, but she regained her balance. Zuko growled, finally bound. I leaned over to him.

"Easy, now. Let's find out who's in charge."

"I already know," he muttered darkly. Lenara was pushed our way and the three of us stood before our captors. The water bender sighed.

"At least this day can't get any worse."

"We have the traitors ready for execution, Admiral."

"You were saying?" Zuko muttered to Lenara. She made a face at him, rolling her eyes. My nephew leaned towards her, shoulder touching shoulder.

"Remember, it won't bring him back."

"What?" She stared at Zuko, clearly confused, "what in the world are you talking about?" I suddenly understood. I knew why my nephew had tried to anger her, why he brought up the past, her father's clues... the general who ordered her father's execution was no longer a general.

Out of the foliage stepped Admiral Zhao, the man who had killed Taro Hün-dai.

VII.

Both my nephew and I watched the water bender's reaction; this young girl who had watched her father die before her eyes at the hands of the man in front of us. I saw a flame, red and dark, flare in her eye. She knew who he was.

"You saw it, too?" Prince Zuko whispered.

"Her Fire Soul?" He nodded.

"Then, you knew she had one."

"I had my suspicions, Uncle."

"And Zhao? You knew he…"

"Killed her father? The fool bragged about it to my father while he was still a General. It was Taro Hün-dai's murder that earned Zhao his promotion to Commander."

"And her untamed Fire Soul-you were trying to get her to release it at you. Dangerous gamble, nephew."

"Better me than Zhao. I can handle an angry fire soul, because the anger is more controlled; it's a release. I didn't destroy her life. But she kept it locked inside her and now…"he shook his head, "she'll be wrath and vengeance itself. She's not going to hurt Zhao-she's going to kill him." Admiral Zhao stopped before us and we became silent.

"Oh, don't stop conspiring on my account," he grinned. His eyes slid over to me and he shook his head, like a schoolmaster to a disappointing pupil.

"General Iroh, it truly is regretful to see you mixed up in this. Your reputation is legendary in the Fire Nation. How will it look when tarnished by being in the company of an exiled traitor?" My nephew was about to go into meltdown, but I calmly shrugged.

"I have the Fire Lord's permission to train and accompany my nephew during his quest, so I doubt my reputation will suffer very much. However, if honor is measured in the people we choose to betray and abandon, then I am ashamed to be a Fire Nation General. But I'm sure my honor is not the point of this, is it, Admiral Zhao?"

"No, it's not."

"We are not on Fire Nation soil. You have no reason to hold us captive."

"Oh, but I do," he walked to my nephew, a wide grin splitting his face, "don't I, Blue Spirit?" My nephew never looked away, but there seemed to be a battle going on in that staring contest.

"What are you talking about?"

"Still ever the defiant liar," Zhao relented and turned to me.

"The Avatar was captured a few months ago and held in a prison in my personal fort. But a bandit sporting the image of the Blue Spirit infiltrated our fort and released the Avatar."

"A bandit broke into a Fire Nation military stronghold? That must be some thief!" I crowed. Zhao was not amused.

"The Avatar escaped, but no matter. As I'm sure you know, General Iroh, Fire Lord Ozai has turned the task of capturing the Avatar over to me. So your little journey," he said to Prince Zuko, "is over. You were a small price to pay for the Fire Nation's future."

"The Fire Nation's future is lost without Prince Zuko. You're a fool if you can't see that." We all turned to the source of the angry voice. It was Lenara. Zhao didn't seem angry; in fact, he seemed quite amused.

"You keep strange company, Prince Zuko, but appropriately enough, a traitor all the same. Don't worry, little one, there isn't any nasty water around for you to bend," he said, noticing her water tribe robes. It was true; the coast was miles back.

"It doesn't matter. I don't need it," she growled. Her voice was empty; the Fire Soul was taking over. Zhao didn't seem to notice. He obviously didn't recognize her.

"Oh, she seems like a handful. And such pretty green eyes. You know, you seem awfully familiar to me…" Zuko interrupted.

"I see you haven't managed to recapture the Avatar." Zhao smiled down at him.

"On the contrary," he motioned to his soldiers and they pushed three children into the clearing, "they were the first to be captured." The Avatar, his girl and boy companion, even the furry lemur, were bound as we were.

"You guys okay?" Lenara glanced at the Avatar. He smiled bravely.

"Yeah. Sorry we f…" Lenara gave the boy a sharp look and he quickly snapped his mouth shut. Zuko and I shared a look. What was that all about?

"Seems we all have a secret to share," Zhao proclaimed, stepping into the center of the clearing, "so I'll go first. I'm taking the Avatar and the Prince of the Fire Nation back to Fire Lord Ozai. The Fire Lord will be pleased to see you, Avatar. He will not, however, be pleased to see his son come back a failure. I can only imagine what he has in store for you both. The rest of you will be tried for treason to the Fire Nation. And since I'm the top rank here, I can pass sentence. You are all guilty and therefore must be executed. Let's get them tied to the trees," he signaled for the soldiers, "then we can burn this useless forest down." And as I was dragged to a sturdy Aspen tree, as my nephew was lead away to face the wrath of his father, as the Avatar was all but lost to us, I bent my head and mourned the thought that I would never have another cup of jasmine tea again…


	2. Chapter 2

**STONE**

**I.**

Go ahead. Make fun if you want, but I stand by my righteous grunt: 'Nothing's more right than Sokka's instincts'. Well, it's true! Take the whole Jet incident. Yeah, this thug and his pee-wee diaper slingers were going to destroy the homes and lives of a village of innocent people. Luckily for _ahem_Sokka's instincts, the only thing lost were the homes. Okay, so my instincts aren't perfect, but it saved their lives, okay? Yep, sometimes I even amaze myself…

But it's not easy being responsible all the time. I mean, I have to watch out for both my sister _and_ this goofy kid Aang, who's the Avatar. Maybe the Avatar has lousy instincts, who knows? All I'm saying is Aang is way too trusting and one day, it's going to get him killed. Yeesh. Sometimes, I swear, I feel like the world's oldest babysitter. But don't tell Katara I said that; she'd kill me.

You wanna talk about instincts? Lenara has instincts-they're comin' outta her…uh, ears. She's this water chief and is a million steps ahead of the game. She tricked that weenie Zuko into taking her captive and I can't wait to hear what kind of trouble she's giving him. I give her credit-she plans like a warrior and doesn't rely on fancy flash like water bending to get the job done. Don't get me wrong, bending's cool. But if you ask me, nothing beats the solid weight of a good club in your hands. Thwack! You could just see me, right, taking out those Fire benders…uh, never mind.

Anyway, Aang decided we need to find Lenara and rescue her. We've been trailing the Fire Navy ship for about a month now, but things keep getting in the way of our rescue. Oh, don't get me started on what happened. All you need to know is Aang learned earth bending from a big guy wrapped in a diaper, Katara got our mother's necklace back, and I kissed a girl. Seriously, that's it. I'm not telling you anymore, so don't ask.

And that's how we ended up captured by the Fire Nation. Again. Because we love it. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Okay, here's how it started…

II.

I was down by the water's edge at dawn one day. Katara and Aang were still asleep. I had our water skins with me and man, was that a boring way to start a day. As I reached for the last leather pouch, I caught a flash of silver in the water. The sky was lousy with clouds, the sun just barely making a reflection in the waves. I looked harder and found the bright spot in the river was getting bigger-and heading right for me. Stealth being my element, I picked up my club and waited for the shinny menace to come my way. It inched ever closer…just a few feet away…I could almost touch it…

"Aha!" I yelled and almost brought my club right down on it when I noticed the cork in the top. I lowered my arm and poked the object with my club. A glass bottle bobbed in the slippery water. I let out a sigh_. Mighty hunter just capture big game_- a nice, yummy bottle. I carefully dipped my hand in the river and pulled it out, holding the bottle away at arm's length like a diseased lemur. Looked like it had been floating around for weeks. Smelled funny. And there's paper stuck to the bottom…wait a minute…

I pulled off the cork and tipped the bottle upside-down. A thin scroll slid out of the glass neck. Setting the bottle in the gritty sand, I unrolled the scroll. It was addressed to me!

"Okay, that's a little creepy." I looked around the beech to make sure I was alone. Who the heck knew I would be here, at this exact place, at this exact moment?

I didn't read the letter first. Instincts took over and I used my senses to determine clues about the writer. Since the scroll had been sealed in an airtight bottle, I knew most of the characteristics would still be present.

The paper was light papyrus, which meant it would dissolve in most liquids. That could mean the message had sensitive information and should be destroyed after being read. Which means, if I'm hard up for a snack, I can eat it. Great. I stuck the corner on my tongue (if I have to eat it, I'd better see what it tasted like, right?). I tasted…jasmine tea? The paper smelled like sulfur and smoke, with a hint of something clean and soft…something familiar about that smell. There was a smudged fingerprint on the left side, dark with coal dust. Whoever wrote this was near enough fuel to keep a fire going for weeks. And that faint smell, like soap and apples on a cold autumn day…what the heck's with that? Suddenly, the wind picked up and I clutched the letter. A strand of hair, caught in the paper, rippled in the breeze. The hair was copper red and long. Lenara!

"Woo-hoo!" I stopped, remembering I was the only idiot dancing around on a deserted beech and mumbled to myself, 'She's okay…she's on the ship…calm down, Sokka, just read the letter'. I pushed back the roll at the top:

_**Sokka,**_

_**I know you will be the first one to discover this letter, instincts being your middle name (**_heh, heh, yeah__

_**First, please let Aang know I am okay. I'm, as you've guessed, on the Fire Navy ship. Please let Katara know that I have not told them where to find the Avatar. It's a knowledge they will never possess. While I am being held captive (and I use the term loosely), I will be working on my mission, which was passed down to me from my father, and my grand-uncle before him: to assist and defend the Avatar. And though I can't do much here on this ship, I know he's in good hands with you both.**_

_**However, I do have my own card to play. Legend speaks of an ancient tool the Avatar used to assemble his army, even if his army was scattered across the world. This tool was known as the Hotaru-the Avatar's Bell. If rung by the Avatar, the bell will reverberate a call-to-arms across the earth, in every language imaginable. Aang, you may be powerful, but you will face the Fire Nation's army and we need all the help we can get. The bell will touch those who have suffered, those who have been broken and beaten and will not endure the wrath of the Fire Army any longer.**_

**_Making the bell will be no easy task (_**I turned the letter over**_) as it requires a little from each element. I will need volcanic ore symbolizing Fire Nation, sacred water from the Falls of Hakü, holy stones from the Earth Kingdom shrine at Kio-Misu, and the Rü-lan banner from the Western Air Temple. The ore is found at Mount Yukito, just tem miles of where you are. I won't have a chance to get the ore. But you can. Here's what we can do…_**

III.

"Katara! Katara, wake up!" My sister, who looks pretty frightening first thing in the morning, rolled over and yawned. She rubbed he eyes with the side of her hand.

"Sokka? What's going on?"

"Katara, I just found a bottle."

"Good for you, Sokka; you should be very proud," Katara yawned. My sister the comedian.

"With a note inside."

"Uh huh."

"Written by Lenara."

"What?" She snatched the scroll from my hand and scanned the note.

"Wow," she breathed.

"No kidding."

"So, should we wake Aang? This is pretty major." We both glanced at Aang. He was sprawled upside-down in Appa's furry middle, drool hanging from his sleeping mouth. He snorted and poked at an imaginary friend.

"Tag, you're it!" This is the savior of our world, ladies and gentlemen. We're all gonna die.

"Probably. If we have to gather all this stuff for the Hotaru, we better get moving," Katara said, stretching as she walked to Appa. I rolled up our sleeping bags and listened to Katara try to wake up Aang.

"Aang?"

"I'm in the safe zone…you're it!"

"Aang!"

"Wha-is it time for Airball?" Katara grabbed Aang's shoulders and shook him.

"Aang, wake up!" His eyes cracked open slowly and he let out a disappointed groan.

"Aw, Katara! I was winning."

"Aang, get up. Something important has happened and we need to get moving." Aang may be a goofy kid, but he knows when it's time to get down to business. He pushed himself up with a gust of air and helped me disassemble the camp while we loaded our gear onto Appa. I explained Lenara's plan. Aang paused for a minute to read Lenara's letter. He grinned.

"I ­_knew_ she had another plan! But I've never heard of the Hotaru before."

"Really? I thought you'd know about that, Aang," Katara said, "although so much about the Avatar lore was lost when you were gone."

"Do _you_ know about it, Katara?" I teased.

"Well, sure! It's….a bell that…has water and stones and…well, I've just heard about it in a couple of stories, okay?" Katara huffed.

"Gyatso told me about weapons that were made only for the Avatar, but the weapons weren't swords or clubs. They were more like tools to help get through obstacles and assemble people. They looked so weird. One of them, I swear, looked just like a bison comb."

"A bison comb?" I raised an eyebrow. We're being saved by a bison comb, folks. Next up, my sister's sweaty socks!

"So, where are those other weapons, Aang? They could be helpful."

"I'm not sure. Gyatso never said and I left before the other monks could tell me. I didn't know anyone knew how to actually _make_ one. Where did Lenara find the plans to build the Hotaru?" I shrugged, tucking the scroll back in the bottle.

"Beats me. All I know is it's in pieces and time's running out. C'mon," I climbed up on Appa's back, "yip-yip!"

IV.

Okay, the Yukito mountains are not your average brown, craggy lumps of stone with clouds floating around the tops. They're made of glass. Seriously. THEY'RE MADE OF GLASS. And instead of clouds, there's bees-thousands and thousands of bees. They make this creepy humming noise when you get close enough to the base of the mountain. Like we are now.

"So, where is this 'volcanic ore' Lenara was talking about?" I asked, swatting bees away from me.

"Not sure. Somewhere inside Mount Yukito?" Aang suggested. Katara moved a shrub next to the base of the mountain aside. No caves, no openings. We walked a little ways around the mountain. Nothing but sheer glass far as the eye could see. I tried making an opening with my club, but I only ended up chipping the petrified bone.

"Oh, man! My favorite club!" Katara scratched her head thoughtfully.

"Well, if we had wings like the bees we could fly up the mountain…"

"Yeah, I'll get right on growing those." Katara scowled at me, then her face lit up. I could practically see the light bulb above her head.

"Aang! Try using air bending to get up the mountain!" Aang crouched low, then pushed himself a dozen feet up the mountain. He gripped the sides of the glass face for purchase, but his fingers slipped and he tumbled back down.

"That won't work. I can't hold on long enough to air bend the currents." We all stared at Mount Yukito. There had to be a way up the mountain…

I suddenly felt something warm and gooey on my leg. I reached down and my fingers scooped up some wax-colored goo.

"Ugh! Yuck!" Aang bent down and swiped the amber stuff onto his finger, then stuck his finger in his mouth. I told you he was a goofy kid.

"Mmm….honey!" Aang sighed.

"Honey? Lemme taste!" I popped a dab in my mouth.

"Oh, man, that's heaven!"

"If you two are done tasting Sokka's leg, come over here!" Katara knelt by a large group of rocks, covered in honey.

"Honey rocks!"  
"No, Sokka. It's been dripping on the rocks, from up there," Katara pointed above our heads at the trees, where hundreds of overflowing beehives were clustered on the drooping branches. The bees didn't seem too worried about our being so close to their hives.

"Hey, we could take some of this back with us," Aang suggested. He began to scoop a sticky handful up and poured it into a jar. Some of the honey stayed attached to his hand. He shook his hand, but the honey held fast and the jar bounced up and down.

"C'mon, get-in-the-jar," Aang commanded in time to the bouncing. He finally got fed up and used a blast of air to shoot the jar away from him. The jar hit the thick glass of the mountain and hung there, glued to the side.

"Hey," Katara touched the glob of honey," you may be on to something, Aang!"

We all slathered the bottoms of our boots with honey and then lathered our hands in it. Aang jumped onto the mountain first, held fast by the honey, then used air bending to jump again. Katara and I slowly scaled the side of the frosted glass. Aang shouted from above us.

"I found the ore! It's in this opening!"

"Wait for us, Aang!" Katara called, "we'll come and help you!" We reached the only blemish on the otherwise smooth mountain: a narrow crack that ripped a four foot fissure into the glass. Aang stuck his hand inside and extracted a pebble-sized amount.

"That's not going to be enough, is it?" I moved forward, undoing my knife.

"Let me try, Aang." I chiseled a fist-sized portion out of the mountain and handed it to Katara, who dropped it into a sack around her shoulder. After a few more pieces, we were satisfied.

"This should be enough to make the casing of the bell, right?" Katara shook the bag with one hand, the other glued to the mountainside. I nodded.

"Yeah. Now let's get offah here. What's the fastest way down?" Aang pulled his left hand from the glass and licked the honey off. He did the same with the right, then ripped off his shoes and tossed them off the mountain.

"This way Sokka! Yeah!" And the Avatar slid down Mount Yukito on his butt. I raised an eyebrow. Katara shrugged. Aang reached the bottom in time to see two pairs of boots fly off the mountain. Katara and I slid down the glass, Katara laughing all the way as she reached the foothills and I shrieked like a four-year-old as I plowed into the honey covered rocks below.

V.

After we tied the volcanic ore up in a leather sack, we packed up and mounted Appa. I had come up with a plan to get the ore to her: we were to fly past the Fire Navy ship to draw their attention. When they spotted us, we were to head for the forest. The ship would pursue us. We would make a sound every now and again to lure the Fire Nation soldiers deeper into the forest. While Aang and Katara kept them busy, I would find Lenara and give her the ore. Then we could make our get-away on Appa and that would be that. Katara asked if we could float the ore to Lenara in a bottle. I shook my head.

"Won't work."

"Why not?" I tapped my sister's head.

"What, are you crazy? The ore would sink the bottle. It's too heavy!"

"Fine, we'll do it your way. I just don't like the idea of getting too close to Zuko-he's bound to be desperate to capture Aang."

"I know, but I think we'll be okay. It's just one Fire Navy ship." (Famous last words) We soared over the sea, now lined with maples along the dusty shore. Up ahead, black smoke choked the sky.

"There they are. Remember the plan." I unstrapped my boomerang. Aang slid down Appa's back and snapped the reins.

"Yip-yip!" Appa picked up speed, closing in on the worn and battered Fire Navy ship. 'How long has this guy been out here looking for the Avatar?' I wondered.

"All right, Aang. Let's get their attention!" I called. Aang nodded and brought Appa down a hard left. I hurled my boomerang at the lookout tower. The wedge of bone banged off of the hollow metal of the tower and curved smartly back to us. I snatched it out of the air and folded my arms. 'Come and get us, if ya dare'. Aang circled the ship once, then twice. Katara shielded the sunlight from her eyes, squinting for a glimpse of Lenara on the deck. We could see a couple of crewmen had already spotted us and, as we watched, Zuko appeared on deck, snatching a telescope from a crewman's hands. Lenara appeared a moment later, gazing up at us, but making no other sign of recognition.

"There she is," Katara leaned over to Aang, "let's go." Aang pulled the reins to the right and Appa smoothly shifted course for the forest. He landed in a clearing of moss-covered logs and bugs. Aang jumped off of Appa.

"Stay here boy. C'mon, Mo-mo!" The lemur landed on Aang's bald head, chittering nervously. We picked our way through the forest. A few minutes later we heard voices from the coast. Zuko's ship had docked. I turned to Aang and Katara.

"You two keep heading east. I'll circle around and find Lenara."

"Be careful," Katara whispered, then walked off with Aang. I began heading back towards the coast. A loud snap echoed in the forest.

"Good one, Aang," I muttered to myself. I heard the group of fire benders change course, heading east. I couldn't see them yet. I stuck my knife in a nearby tree, listening for vibrations. They were maybe twenty yards away. I yanked my knife out and ran low, crouching down at a large bush for cover. As I spread the branches, I could see Lenara from the gaps in the trees. Another branch snapped.

"C'mon you guys-think of something different." A choked scream was abruptly silenced. It sounded like Katara.

"Okay, that's a little better…wait a minute…" The hairs on the back of my neck tingled. Instinct was telling me the hunter had just become the hunted. I turned in time to see three Fire Nation soldiers throw a net on me.

VI.

Being tied up is no fun. I've been spending a lot of the past year that way. So imagine how thrilled I was when I was deposited, yet again, on the ground with my good buddy the rope. I should just keep a coil of it handy to make it easy for the next would-be captors—no rope? No problem! I've got plenty. I'll even tie the knots, here let me get you started….

Aang, Katara, even Mo-mo were likewise bound, sitting on the ground. I wiggled over to them.

"You guys alright?" They nodded.

"Well, well, the Avatar." Some guy, obviously the leader, pushed aside the soldiers in front of us and stared us down.

"You," Aang murmured. Katara and I shared a look. He was the commander who tried to stop Aang from speaking with Avatar Roku at the Fire Nation temple.

"It was only a matter of time before I caught you again, Avatar. And I hear you're not alone. Somewhere in this forest, Prince Zuko is also looking for you. Lieutenant," he motioned to a solider, "apprehend Prince Zuko and his party. We will catch up with you shortly."

"Yes, Admiral Zhao." The soldier and a troop of fire benders left the clearing. Zhao looked over us like we were cattle, thick, juicy cattle (oh man, was I hungry!) He signaled to his remaining soldiers.

"Get them up. I feel like teasing a cat with the mouse I caught. Let's find the banished Prince." We were hauled to our feet.

"Banished?" Aang asked aloud.

"Oh, that's right. You never heard about how Prince Zuko lost the throne of the Fire Nation. In fact," Zhao continued, "that's the whole reason he's looking for you."

"What?" Katara gasped. We marched into the forest.

"Prince Zuko needs to capture the Avatar to reclaim his place in line to the throne. Fool," Zhao snorted, "Fire Lord Ozai does not forgive weakness so readily."

"Why was Zuko banished?" Aang asked. Zhao turned, his smile dark and cold.

"He's a traitor to his father's kingdom. And to the Fire Lord's cause."

"The war," I muttered. Zhao picked up the pace. We arrived at a cluster of aspen trees. The soldiers pushed us forward as Zhao made his rounds, taunting Zuko. The old man Zuko traveled with, Iroh, and Lenara were also restrained. Lenara turned to us. Something was a little off about her…her face seemed lined with anger and…was that a spark in her eye?

"You guys okay?"

"Yeah," Aang hung his head, "sorry we f…" Lenara gave him the look-of-death and he snapped his lips shut. Boy, she was scary. What did they do to her on the ship?

"Well, seems we all have a secret to share," Zhao announced," so I'll go first." He then unraveled his boringly simple plan to take Aang and Weenie Boy back with him while he burned the rest of us alive for 'treason against the Fire Nation'. If he kept monologuing any longer, I would have volunteered to gather the kindling myself.

Those of us to be executed were tied to trees, mine being just right of Lenara and hers next to Iroh. Katara was by my left. Zhao paused in front of Lenara. I'd never seen her so angry. What was her beef with this guy?

"You still seem very familiar to me," Zhao mused, a sinister grin on his face, "are you sure I don't know your father?" Lenara let out a furious shout, straining the rope that tied her to the sturdy tree. Zhao watched her struggle.

"I guess I did. I noticed the scar on you hand. Some fire bender has already touched you. Daddy must be ashamed." Lenara's eyes suddenly grew black. Zuko stepped forward, dragging the two soldiers who held his arms with him.

"Be silent, you fool!" Zhao turned from Lenara and approached the exiled Prince.

"I don't take orders from banished traitors." And with that, Zhao struck Zuko full across the face. I heard the old man Iroh gasp. Something very bright exploded to my right and I turned just in time to see Lenara, engulfed in _flames_, raise her head. Eyes black, the fire stripping the red from her hair to hot white, she whispered one word:

_"Enough."_

The tree she was bound to exploded, splints of wood burying themselves into neighboring trees. She clenched her fists and snarled. When she blinked, a ring of flames radiated from her body, burning our ropes. Aang's and Zuko's bonds were caught in the fire and they pulled the ropes away from them.

Lenara approached Zhao, who was slightly caught off guard. He shot a fire blast at Lenara, but the flames that encircled her absorbed the blow. Zhao tried again, but his attacks were useless. Lenara thrust her fist forward, knocking Zhao back with a ball of hot fire. She continued with a string of blows that left Zhao bruised, his lip split and the area above his left brow broken with blood. She worked him backwards until he was up against a tree. He turned to the other soldiers.

"Well, don't just stand there! Get her!" The soldiers raced towards Lenara. She never took her eyes off Zhao. She pushed her arm out to the side and a gust of fire swept several advancing soldiers off their feet and slammed them onto the ground. She waved the other soldiers off with a similar attack.

_"Got anything else annoying to throw at me?"_ Her voice was so hollow, so dark. Aang and Katara raced to my side.

"We should help her," Katara said.

"Uh, Katara? Did you just see her take out an army of fire benders? I don't think she needs our help," Aang muttered.

"I'm inclined to agree," I replied.

"Yes, she does," Zuko removed the last of the old man's ropes, "she'll kill him. She'd never be able to live with that. I t would make her like Zhao-a murderer." I glanced at him suspiciously.

"What do you care?" He frowned.

"That's none of your concern."

"Oh, really?" I stared him down, but Katara stepped in front of me.

"Why does she want to kill Zhao?"

"Because," the guy actually looked somber, "Zhao killed her father." Katara took a step back.

"Whoa." Aang sprinted towards Lenara without another word. He knew the pain of murdered family. He reached her just as she delivered another blow to Zhao's burned and bloodied face.

"Lenara, stop! You can't do this!"

_"Yeah, Aang, I kinda think I can."_ Aang stepped beside Lenara and grabbed her wrist.

"If you kill him, you'll be just like him!" She shook him off.

_"Why should he be allowed to live when hundreds died by his hand? What kind of justice is that, Avatar? To punish the innocent and let the murderers go free? No, this ends today, starting with him."_ Her grin was chilling.

_"Should we build him a pyre, like they did for my father?"_ Aang and Katara each grabbed an arm, but Lenara threw them off. Anger made her stronger. Aang launched a gust of wind at Lenara, but she dodged it and grabbed Katara, burning the straps to her water flask. The flask dropped into her hand. She pushed Katara away, used the water to freeze the three of us in place, then used the remainder to freeze Zhao to the tree. He was barely alive.

_"Now you'll suffer what my father suffered, you bastard,"_ she whispered. She raised her fist, engulfed in flames. She thrust if forward…THWACK! Something stopped her attack! I watched, shocked, as Prince Zuko blocked the attack and placed himself between Lenara and Zhao.

_"Get out of the way, Zuko."_

"No."

_"Your loss."_ She released a fireball, but Zuko narrowly dodged it and grabbed her wrists. The flames seared his hands, I could smell burning flesh…well, there goes my appetite.

"What are you gonna do without your hands?" Was he mocking her?

_"Let go of me."_

"Make me, water-sucker." Man, this guy was an idiot. He deserved to get his butt kicked. So why wasn't she flame-broiling him?

_"You can't stop me."_

"Maybe not. But killing Zhao won't bring your father back, Lenara. Do you think Taro Hün-dai would want to see his daughter do this?" She faltered, her eyes flickered from black to dark green. Her hands began to tremble.

_"He robbed me of him, Zuko. Father never did_ anything to anyone! Zhao should be the one in the ground, not my father…" A single tear spilled from a green-colored eye. The flame died. It was over. The white streaks scorched in her hair, however, remained.

Zuko released Lenara and she lowered her arms. I watched, puzzled beyond belief, as that weenie of a rotten Prince just stood there while Lenara suffered. What was this guy's deal? Water bender or no, if any girl just had to relive the worst moment of her life in front of me…

Zuko put a hand on her shoulder and she leaned forward, tears continuing to fall, and rested her head on Zuko's shoulder, the tremors quieted. As much as it killed me to watch, Zuko enclosed Lenara in his arms, a concerned look on his face. Ugh, I had to leave or this was going to make me puke.

"Hey, Katara. Get Aang and Mo-mo and head back to Appa. I'm going to give Lenara this." I held up the leather sack of ore. Katara nodded and she and Aang took off through the woods, Mo-mo right behind them. I zipped behind a tree and watched Iroh release their personal soldiers. Zuko and Lenara pulled away from the embrace awkwardly and Zuko went to assist the old man. I snuck over to the next tree.

"Psst! Lenara!" Lenara turned slowly, exhausted. She walked to the tree and joined me behind it.

"You okay?" She touched her right palm. A scar rippled across the smooth skin of her hand. Had she always had that scar?

"I will be."

"No wonder I didn't trust you when we first met! I didn't know you were a fire bender!"

"You and me both."

"How did you…"

"Well," Lenara dipped forward and I caught her, bracing her with my arm tucked under her, "the short version is: mom was a water bender, married father, who was a fire bender, out came little me." She dropped her head under my chin and I caught that sweet scent girls' hair always seem to have, even if they've just been swimming in sweat. Aw jeez, I think I was blushing.

"Please tell Aang and Katara I'm sorry. I didn't mean to attack any of you, Sokka. I just couldn't control my anger. I let everyone down. You must hate me." I shook my head.

"Not a chance."

"Part of me wants another go at him."

"He _killed_ your father. I'd feel the same way. And so you can bend fire? Big deal. You've got an advantage now: two elements for the price of one!" I smiled at her, "it just means you'll have to be twice as strong and twice as responsible." She blinked.

"That was really impressive, Sokka. When did you become so wise?"

"I know. I'm scared, too," I gulped. She grinned, a genuine smile. That made me feel better. I handed the bag to her.

"Hope it's enough."

"It should be. Thank you."

"Just let us know if you need any more help."

"Actually, I do need your help," she glanced around for potential eavesdroppers, "I'll send you a bottle as soon as I'm on the ship." A worried look crossed my face.

"You're going back?"

"Yep. It's decent cover and they have no clue about my father's mission. Also, I can learn to control this…'fire soul' thing I've heard about."

"But they captured you!"

"I let them capture me, Sokka."

"But they won't let you go!"

"They won't be able to stop me when the time comes to leave." I eyed her, frowning.

"Where did you get that scar?" She glanced at her hand.

"From a dishonorable thing I did. Zuko helped close the wound."

"I don't trust him." She smiled.

"You not trust a fire bender, Sokka? Get outta here." I glared. I was actually trying to be serious!

"But…" I stalled, not really wanting to ask what was bothering me, "what if he attacks you?"

"Then he'll be in for the Agni-kai of his life."

"Does he like you?"

"Who?"

"Scarface over there!" She shrugged, trying to be nonchalant, but I could see she had given this some thought.

"Beats me."

"You sure he's not pretending to be decent just to gain your trust?"

"That's always a possibility; but actually, Sokka, he's just a friend."

"How could you be friends with _him_? He's trying to capture Aang!" I couldn't believe her. One minute she's protecting the Avatar and the next, she's buddy-buddy with Zuko. Lenara gripped my shoulders and pushed away from me, able to stand on her own without my help.

"I realize that, Sokka. Do you know why?"

"Yeah, his dumb honor and glory. He got kicked out of the Fire Nation."

"Banished by his own father for protecting his people." I blinked.

"That's not the version I heard. I didn't know." She nodded, her arms folded.

"Zuko spoke out against the war in favor of protecting his people. His father branded him for his defiance."

"The scar," I realized, "you mean, his own father did that to him?"

"That's right."

"Oh, man…" Talk about your scarlet letters.

"Aang will bring balance to the nations, but the Fire Nation needs a leader who will continue that balance. Aang and Zuko could end this war."

"Wait a minute-you want the Fire Nation to end its own war?"

"C'mon, Sokka! What soldier doesn't long for the massacre to end? Besides, the Fire Nation is my home, too, and I believe the people of the Fire Nation are weary of Lord Ozai's tyranny." I watched her as she ran a hand through her hair, catching notice of the white streaks. She had a lot of guts betting on the wrong horse. Although, the old man who helped me rescue the villagers from that flood Jet started was Fire Nation. Perhaps they weren't a lost cause after all. Lenara was now a fire bender and there was no way I could harbor any anger against her. But her faith in Zuko was a blind spot.

"I still don't trust Zuko."

"I know. Which is why I'm counting on you to keep your eyes and ears open, Sokka. This mission of my father's is taking all of my attention and I know you'll lead me true if I turn a blind eye at something." She began to walk away.

"You trust him, don't you?" She turned, her green eyes painfully focused on me.

"I believe in him. As did my father." She took one step, then spun back around to me and enclosed me in her arms. I stood frozen for a moment, then returned the hug. Man, she was confusing!

"I envy Katara. I wish I had a brother like you, Sokka." She pulled away quickly and walked back to the fire benders. It was tough watching her go. I just hoped she would be okay. If Zuko did so much as upset a hair on her head, there would be a furious warrior out for blood.

VII.

I caught up with Katara and Aang a few minutes later.

"Is Lenara okay?" Aang asked. I ran up Appa's tail and sat in the wide saddle.

"I guess so. She's going back with them."

"Don't worry, Sokka. She'll be okay." I looked at Aang, a little frustrated by his optimism.

"How do you know, Aang?"

"I don't think he'll do anything to harm her," he said softly. I sat near Aang as Katara took the reins.

"How can you be so sure?" He rested his hands on his knees.

"Because, appearances are deceiving. Lenara told us we all have a part to play. Even Zuko has his." He looked away suddenly. Something was bothering Aang, a secret he wished to keep for a while. Katara let out a 'yip-yip' and we left the forest, and our friend we had spent two months searching for, behind.

Aren't you mad? I am so ticked off by that closure! I couldn't believe Lenara was back on that Fire Navy ship! I don't know why it bothered me so much, it just did. So there.

We found another bottle washed ashore two days after the forest incident. This time it was addressed to us all:

_**Ang, Sokka, Katara,**_

_**I must be brief as I am now under a lot of scrutiny since the release of my fire soul. The shrine of Kio-Misu is located at the border of the Earth Kingdom of Ashitaka, just a dozen or so miles from where this letter arrived. The caretakers at the shrine are friends of my mother's family, so you should have no trouble acquiring the three holy stones. Just send them back in this bottle. Katara, a semi-northwest current should do the trick.**_

_**Thank you all for your kindness to me. I couldn't ask for better friends. And Sokka, please forgive my optimism. I can't help it. I would be devastated if I lost your trust. It means the world to me.**_

_**Lenara**_

Aang and Katara glanced at me. I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment. I didn't know my trust meant that much to her. Geez, now I feel like such a jerk.

"Sokka, what'd you say to her?" Katara landed an accusing eye on me.

"Nothing! I just…don't want to see her get hurt, that's all. " Katara smiled.

"You can't protect everyone you meet, Sokka, but it's nice of you to try." I took the letter and folded it up, shoving it in my pocket.

"I'm not protecting everyone! Just you…and Aang…and those villagers and…" Aang chuckled as Katara raised her eyebrow, "fine. Excuse me for being a nice guy." We soared over the clouds, the sun setting behind us. Ahead, the tops of the buildings of Omashu rose into view. Aang waved at the palace as we passed.

"Hey Boomie!" We curved west and headed for the smaller Earth Kingdom village of Ashitaka. I just hope we don't encounter more bees or glass mountains. I've had it with doing all this weird stuff, like scaling mountains covered in honey or sucking on frozen frogs!

VIII.

We set down at the entrance of Ashitaka two days later. We left Appa and Mo-mo behind. The village looked deserted. Doors were left ajar, dust raced through the streets, a child's sandal was left abandoned in the middle of the main road. Katara bent down and picked up the sandal. Aang checked in a couple of houses.

"They're empty. What happened?" I glanced down an alleyway. Not even an empty barrel had been left behind.

"Maybe they're all in Omashu under King Bumi's protection. After all, the Earth Kingdom is the Fire Nation's biggest threat right now," I replied.

"Maybe now, but wait until Aang has the Hotaru," Katara said with a confident grin, "we'll see who's the biggest threat then, right, Aang? Uh, Aang?" My sister walked over to Aang, who was staring at the old stone-built temple of Kio-Misu. The temple of the Earth Kingdom Avatars. He headed for the entrance and we raced to catch up.

"I don't think those caretakers will still be here, Aang." Katara watched Aang's face carefully. He had been to two Avatar temples already and both visits resulted in revelation and disaster. The Southern Air Temple revealed Aang's past lives and, sadly, the bones of his murdered mentor, Gyatso. The Fire Temple of Avatar Roku revealed Aang's quest to master the four elements and stop the comet that will return next summer. The comet will give the Fire Lord all the scruples to blast this planet into the next evolutionary cycle…in other words, we'll all be so much bread crumbs in the toaster of life. Anyways, after he met with Avatar Roku, Aang, embodied with the spirit of Roku, destroyed the Fire temple. So, needless to say, we were a little nervous about entering the temple of Kio-Misu. Who knew what we were getting ourselves into?

The temple was built of sandy colored blocks of stone, opening up to a vaulted ceiling on the inside. A wall to our left was covered in an elaborate mosaic of stones that wrapped around the length of the temple and glowed in the subtle light of the doorway. They represented the images of all the Avatars, right up to Avatar Roku. Aang ran his hand along the wall. His past lives kept resurfacing before his eyes, reminding this kid of the heavy burden he shouldered. Poor Aang, he never asked for this.

"Hey Aang! Sokka!" Katara had stopped in front of the statue of Kio-Misu, the Avatar during the third dynasty, according to the stone tablet on the base of the statue. Kio-Misu was a serious looking woman with frizzy, tight curls that haloed her head and long, sturdy limbs. She had this proud, defiant look on her face, one fist curled and raised bent at the elbow in a symbol of power.

"Wow," Katara breathed.

"'Hear me Roar, Say it Loud: I'm Earth and I'm Proud.' What the heck does that mean?" I gave the statue a wary look.

"Beats me," Aang walked around the statue.

"Where are the stones?" We searched the sparse temple. No holy stones anywhere. Heck, I don't think we would even know what a holy stone was if it hit us in the head. Katara sighed.

"Too bad those friends of Lenara's family aren't here. They could have helped us." Aang stared at the walls of Avatars. One, an Air bender, was using air bending to suspend himself up a half-constructed building. He reached for a massive stone block that an Earth bender Avatar raised from the ground. A Fire bender Avatar baked the earth into huge bricks. A Water bender Avatar helped mix the mortar with water.

"They all helped build this temple, a little at a time," Aang explained, amazed.

"No wonder it's so big," Katara breathed. Aang moved along the wall.

"I wonder if they helped build the temples in every nation." He stopped along the corner. He studied an Avatar, a water bender, with a hand outstretched to bend the river away from a town of earth benders.

"She looks familiar," Aang narrowed his eyes.

"Well, of course. She's you from a past life," I replied.

"No, Sokka, I mean, she looks like someone I met after the iceberg." Katara and I shared a look. We bent closer to the wall. Katara scraped a cloud of dust away with the palm of her hand. The Avatar had rich auburn hair and a small, round nose.

"Looks like Lenara," I murmured. Not like I had her on the brain or anything…

"It _is_ Lenara!" Katara gasped. Aang pointed to the face.

"Can't be. This Avatar's eyes are blue." Katara crossed her arms, lost in thought.

"Perhaps a relative? A grandmother?" she suggested. Aang suddenly grinned.

"Yeah, her great-grandmother! I remember an Avatar Lita from the water tribe in the North. I knew Lenara felt familiar to me!"

"Wait, let me get this straight…you're Lenara's great-grandmother, Aang? That's kinda creepy."

"Knock if off, Sokka," my sister thumped me on the head, "so that must be why you were eager to introduce yourself to her, Aang. You must have felt the Avatar spirit lingering in Lenara." Aang nodded. I sighed. Great, now she's got Avatar connections, too! This world can't stop finding ways to make the differences between her and me huge and obvious. She's a water bender and a fire bender, she's a descendant of the Avatar, she's hot…uh, I mean, she's the chief of her tribe. And what the heck am I? Some scrawny backwater kid with knobby elbows and a squeaky voice. No wonder she likes a Prince of the Fire Nation-at least he's a prince. I'm nobody. I caught Katara looking at me.

"You okay?"

"Just peachy. "

"Your face is all red."

"It's…nothing." She stepped close to me so Aang couldn't hear.

"Tell me later, okay?" I nodded. Aang leaned against the wall.

"Wonder if she knows one of her ancestors was the Avatar."

"Well, yeah, she must have. Her letter said the caregivers of the temple were friends of her mother's family. Friends of an Avatar…" I trailed off, the gears turning in my head. The Avatars in the mosaic were working together with other Avatars, building temples and stopping natural disasters.

"Were the caregivers Avatars, too?" I asked. Aang and Katara turned to me.

"What do you mean, Sokka?"

"Well," I pointed to the mural, "these Avatars put a lot of work into building and taking care of the temples. They could be the caregivers Lenara was talking about."

"But Sokka, how are they going to tell us where to find the stones for the Hotaru?" That was a darn good question. Time to use Sokka's Instincts!

I leaned in, scrutinizing the mosaic. The stones were all highly polished, but vastly different, millions of colors and shapes squeezed together. I scratched the mortar; it was a silt compound. The smell was an earthy scent of wet clay, even after all these years, and eucalyptus. That was weird. I tapped the stones in front of me. Solid. I moved along the wall, Aang and Katara following. As I walked halfway around the temple, knocking on stones, I caught a strong whiff of eucalyptus. I backed up to a mural of a group of Avatars. The Water bender held a eucalyptus branch, trickling water. The Air bender held a banner. The Fire bender held a crescent-shaped bell. The Earth bender held a stone. Lenara had described the Hotaru, a waxing quarter moon of a bell. I knocked on the stones. They were hollow. I turned to Katara and Aang; we all shared a knowing smile.

Aang used his Earth bending to carefully move the stones. Katara mixed a mortar with the water from our flask and I collected the loose polished stones as they fell. Behind the mosaic, wedged in a tiny alcove, were three small plain brown stones, each inscribed with runes.

"Alright, Sokka's Instincts!" Aang shouted. He reached in and extracted the stones. We dropped them in a leather sack and then went about repairing the damage. Aang set the blocks back into place, Katara and I patched the mosaic up as best we could. Exhausted and dirty, we stood back and surveyed our handiwork.

"Let's get these stones on their way," Katara jingled the bag. Aang lingered in the doorway, relieved, I'm sure, that the darn temple was left standing. He trotted away down the path to catch up with us. Two down, two to go.

IX.

Katara corked the bottle tight and hurled it into the sea. She shifted her weight and forced the tide carrying the bottle northwest. The holy stones of Kio-Misu drifted out of sight.

"Good luck, little stones!" Aang shouted. I shook my head. What a goon.

"Wonder how she's doing," Katara dropped to the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees and resting her head on top. I looked away at Aang, down by the shore with Mo-mo, trying to catch fish. It was painful to watch.

"Sokka? What was on your mind back at the temple?" I glanced at my sister.

"I was…just worried about Lenara."

"She'll be okay. You've been thinking about her an awful lot, Sokka. Are you sure that's the only thing bothering you?" And this is what I call 'Katara's Instincts'. Most girls have this: it's the ability to sense there is always something wrong especially when a guy doesn't want to talk about it.

"She said Zuko's just a friend of hers." Katara raised her head.

"Oh."

"And he helped her heal the scar on her hand."

"Uh, huh."

"And she's…falling for that bozo, Katara!" I whispered fiercely, "she's going to get hurt, and then I'll have to kick his butt…you see the situation I'm in?" She smiled.

"You have a crush on her, don't you, Sokka?"

"What? No. No!" I hissed as she gave me a smirk, "I just think she's making a mistake. She's pretty clever, for a girl. Don't you think she'd rather, I don't know…"

"Fall in love with someone like you?"

"Yeah. No! Katara, stop doing that!"

"Sokka, I know how you like her. It's pretty obvious. But we can't control who we love. She may be making a mistake in our eyes, but to her, it's the right choice. And Sokka, you may know you will never be more than a friend to her, but you might still choose to feel how you do regardless."

"Sounds pretty one-sided."

"Would you rather it be no-sided." I scowled.

"No."

"Okay, then."

"Why am I doing this to myself?"

"Because," she said, shuffling over to me and putting her arm around me, "you're a dope who needs to kiss a girl."

"I _have_ kissed a girl! You…just…didn't see her…" Aang raced over to us, a wiggling fish in his hands.

"Look at the whiskers on this one!" The fish slipped and flopped side to side until it bounced back into the river. Aang sighed.

"That one took forever to catch."

"I thought you were a vegetarian, Aang."

"I am. I just think they're neat!" I rolled my eyes and scraped a thumb along the curve of my boomerang. The sun was setting and by morning we would be on our way to the waterfalls of Hakü, a land far beyond the Earth Kingdom. The trees were bare, winter was ready to take its course. We would be stuck in Hakü if a blizzard hit. Hope they have some penguin jerky.

Aang and Katara fell right to sleep that night, but I lay awake, my arms folded behind my head. A million thoughts scrambled across my brain, but the only thing I could feel was one girl's warmth that still lingered on my shoulder. I was really starting to get distracted. I tried to focus on using my instincts to solve this problem, but that was wasted time. Instincts couldn't help me now. I was a lost cause. Girls always seemed to have this affect on me. She actually said she valued my trust…yeah, we're all gonna die.


	3. Chapter 3

**WATER**

**I.**

Nothing prepared us for how cold this winter would be. I grew up in the South Pole and those bitter nights seemed to reincarnate themselves in the winters of Hakü.

Poor Appa, covered in snow, tried to battle the blizzard we were caught in. Sokka was anxious to get to Hakü before dark, but this was crazy! If you ever want to die frozen to a flying bison, ask Sokka's Instincts.

Aang shivered. For once, he seemed miserable in this raging wind. I unfolded our blanket and we huddled under it together. Sokka, clutching the reins, turned to us. We could barely hear him; the wind was so loud.

"I think I see Hakü!"

"What?"

"I _said_ I think I see Hakü!"  
"Gehsudite!" Aang shouted. Sokka slapped his forehead in disbelief.

"HAKÜ! DOWN THERE!"

"Well, you don't have to shout!" I yelled, "We saw it a few minutes ago!" I watched my brother choke on his own fury, which is a pretty funny thing to see. Appa banked right and we headed for the few cottages that formed the lonely town of Hakü. Mo-mo peaked out from under the blanket, where Aang had kept him tucked under his cloak. The snow had not stopped for days. Even the sea was mostly ice now. I was glad about that-it meant the Fire Navy ships, particularly Zuko's, would have a tough time catching up.

Appa landed in a cloud of powder. His huge, fuzzy head shook off the snow and he grunted. Aang raced to the side of the saddle.

"Watch this, Katara!"

"Aang wait! The snow's too…" WHUMP! "…deep," I finished. Sokka and I strapped on our snowshoes and slid down Appa's tail. We pulled Aang out of the drift. His blue lips matched the blue arrow on his head.

"S-seriously, you guys, you don't know what you're mm-missing." I draped the blanket over him and we headed for the nearest house.

Before I could knock on the door, a man opened it so a slice of light spilled onto us and regarded us with a nervous eye. He had wild, fuzzy white hair around his ears, an anxious stare on his face. He took one look at Aang and yelled over his shoulder:

"Nothing out here but the wind!" and slammed the door in our faces. A pile of snow fell on our heads.

"Geez, what a crackpot!" Sokka exclaimed, brushing snow off his shoulders. Mo-mo shook out his fur.

"That was weird. Why did he look so nervous?" I wondered aloud. Aang shrugged.

"Maybe he's never seen a lemur before." We trekked through the snow and stopped at the next house down the road. Sokka pounded on the worn wood door and again, the door was only opened a little of the way. A middle aged woman, apron around middle and tea kettle in hand, glared at us. She stared at Aang, then bent forward, raising her voice to someone behind her.

"Tis only the cat. Shoo! Be off with you!" She looked right at us, her voice a whisper.

"Leave, Avatar," and slammed the door. Sokka jumped away from the door, where a pile of snow dropped from the roof. The batch from the tree, however, hit him directly on the head.

"Oh, man!"

Aang pointed to his face, confused.

"Is there something wrong with me?" I smiled.

"No, Aang, you're fine. Something strange is going on here." I glanced up the frosty, blown trail. The village's general store sat at the end of the path, the windows a butter yellow of warmth on this night.

"C'mon. Let's try the village store. At least then we can get out of this snow." We shuffled up the path. Shallow footprints were already half full of snow. As we stepped onto the porch of the general store, Sokka breathed in and smiled.

"I smell jerky," he drooled. We pushed the door open. The clerk stood behind the counter, his small eyes in his massive face were wide with fright. By now, we were used to getting that reaction. A drab curtain separated the back of the store from the front, the floor cluttered with Pi-sho boards and barrels of apples and dried jerky. Mo-mo scooped up a handful of Leichi nuts and sniffed them. I pushed back the hood of my winter cloak and approached the counter.

"Hi! We were beginning to thing no one in town wanted us here." The clerk leaned forward.

"Get out of here. The Avatar's in danger…" He straightened up and quickly began shoving random items into a wicker basket.

"No problem, m'am. I'll get you set up for the storm," he said in a loud voice, "sure is a whipper out there, isn't it?" He thrust the basket in my hands.

"Take this and get moving!" he whispered, glancing behind his shoulder at the curtain. Aang was peeking into a barrel as I grabbed his arm.

"Let's go, Aang." Sokka looked up from a display of jerky.

"What's going on? Are we leaving?"

"Yes, Sokka," I said in a low voice, "we are."

"Aww, c'mon! We just got here and they have four kinds of jerky! _Four_, Katara!"

"Shut up, Sokka." I kept my eyes on the curtain behind the shopkeeper. Something or someone was behind that curtain.

"What's the big deal? We all need food! Even Avatars have to eat!" The curtain ripped open. Fire Nation soldiers stormed over the counter and surrounded us. Aang glanced as me with worried eyes. I glared at Sokka, whose hands were up in surrender.

"What?"

"Instincts my butt."

"How was I supposed to know they were here?"

"You weren't. That was the point," a young female voice, soft but menacing, came from the back room. The girl walked from the doorway, pushing the shopkeeper in front of her. She was obviously Fire Nation: pitch black hair, sparked amber eyes; she wore the armor of a soldier, reds and leathers. A falcon sat lithely on her left shoulder. Her smile was cruel; her small figure belied the strength she showed as she made the shopkeeper, a fully grown man, wince in pain as she bent his arm back and shoved him on his knees.

"You are an elusive prize, Avatar. Birds who escape too many times…" she bent the shopkeeper's arm completely backwards and we all heard the bone snap. He screamed. She smiled.

"…they need to have their wings clipped."

II.

Aang, Sokka and I sat on the worn floor of the general store, for once untied. Mo-mo sat on Aang's shoulder. The girl tied a scroll to the leg of the falcon perched on her arm. She stroked its head.

"Straight to Zhao, Xirqusis." The falcon lifted from her outstretched arm and disappeared. She turned back to us.

"How is it possible our little banished prince couldn't find you?" She smiled, savoring the insult, "all we had to do was wave your weaknesses under your nose."

"Hey we are not weak!" Sokka argued. His stomach rumbled and he clutched it.

"Food and shelter were the only things a group of travelers would crave from this storm. We simply made sure we had access to every house where a cold and hungry Avatar might stop." I thought back to the old man at the first house and the woman with the tea kettle.

They were trying to warn us!

"You had soldiers invade these people's houses? That's low." I glared at her. She gave me a haughty smile. Man, what I wouldn't have given to water whip that smirk off her face!

"These peasants weren't willing to lose their lives over the Avatar."

"That's funny. They seemed to do nothing but warn us to leave." The confident smirk faltered on her face, but she regained her composure.

"Then we'll just have to burn the village after we leave, now, won't we?" She flicked her amber-colored eyes at Sokka.

"You. Tell me about Zuko's pursuit. Did he actually try to rescue the Avatar from a Fire Nation prison, or was that just a firetime story?" Sokka gave her a demented look.

"He's been trying to capture us since the Avatar's returned! Why would he try to rescue Aang?" The girl nodded her head and two soldiers hauled Sokka to his feet. She held out her hand, a column of flame spiraling upward.

"I'm not sure. All I have are my suspicions. I'm wondering if he's still your enemy, or if he's become your friend. "She advanced on Sokka, the fire dangerously close to his face.

"He's not our friend! He's a jerk!" he yelped. She grinned.

"I know. I just wanted to give you a pretty scar. I could make you look just like our banished Prince-would you like that?" She grabbed Sokka by the hair, forcing his head back. Aang and I jumped up. Aang scrambled away from the arms of the soldiers and shot a gust of wind that blew the girl's flame out. I tried to bend the water in our water skin, but it was frozen solid by the storm.

"Great," I muttered, tossing the useless chunk of leather to the ground. She shot a flame at Aang, then turned on Sokka.

"Who could love a monster with a scar?"

"I've wondered the same thing," he muttered.

"Think anyone would love you with a mangled face?" Her smile was ugly and cold. I watched my brother stare at the fire in her hand, then raised his eyes level with hers. I knew who he was thinking about.

"I don't think that's a problem for her." I watched the flames lick his jaw…my brother's foolish heart defied the Fire Nation and I couldn't help being proud of him for it. With that, I sprinted towards Sokka's captor, my shoulder angled low and WHAM! I collided with the fire bender, the impact leveling us both to the ground. Sokka yelped; a few stray hairs clutched in the girl's hand. Aang brushed both guards away from Sokka with a blast of air. They watched as I struggled to pin the fire bender down. She roared and pushed me off with a hard kick to the stomach. She arched her back and jumped to her feet. I searched the store for anything with water. Nothing. The girl shot a fan of flames at me. I dodged the attack, but she followed with a flame kick that was so fast, I didn't realize I was burning until Aang threw the blanket over my arm.

"Katara!" Sokka kicked over the barrel of apples, the water spilling onto the floor. I looked up at the Fire Nation girl. I wasn't finished with her yet.

I streamed the water into a whip and snapped it at the girl. She rolled under the water, but I bent the puddle into a large ball and dropped it right on her head. She couldn't dodge that attack and I smiled with satisfaction as she emerged like a drown rat, her topknot of hair dripping wet. Steam rose from her body as she burned in anger. Aang and Sokka took a step back, the code among boys to give a woman scorned plenty of room.

"I'll not have a water tribe peasant best me. I was trained by the Fire Nation's best." She called her fire to her and lashed a fist enclosed in flames at me. I blocked it with a spray of water. Sokka tried to clobber her with his club, but she tossed him aside with a fireball. Aang air jumped onto the counter, whipping Pi-sho tiles at her. She took her eyes off me and tried to attack Aang. He was buying me time. I inhaled, then let my breath out cold. The fire bender's wet body froze, her fingers curled like claws to snatch at the Avatar. Aang sighed his relief.

"Good one, Katara." The other soldiers surrounded us and we stared them down, ready to fight to our last. The ice shattered and the girl brought her fist down on Sokka's head, knocking him out. The last thing I saw was her advancing on Aang before something hit my head and snowy white spots flicked across my consciousness until they completely faded to dark.

III.

Water echoed. That's the first thing I sensed when I came to. It slipped down rocks at a steady pace, an insanely slow trickle that would have gotten on my nerves has I not been a water bender.

Now my hands were tied. I opened one eye, relieved it was dark. My head was killing me. Sokka was stuffed in a corner, his white sock the only thing I could identify in the gloom. Where was Aang? Had they taken the Avatar and left us here? I had to get on my feet or I would surrender to the fear.

It took everything in me, since my hands were bound behind me, to lift my upper body so I was sitting instead of sprawled on my gut on the ground. Thank the Avatar my legs weren't tied up, or this would have been a lesson in catastrophic coordination that would have left me on the horizontal side of falling.

Who was that girl and what was her problem? What was she talking about when she said Zuko saved Aang from the Fire Nation? What was she, insane? That would never happen. Aang would tell us something like that.

Voices drifted towards us and I quickly scanned our surroundings. Dark, cavernous, wet, two shapes ahead of us in the shadows, probably guards. Rats. No escape plans were forming, so there wasn't any point in waking Sokka. I turned to face the voices alone.

The girl stepped past the guards, a handful of fire lighting her way. She was joined by two soldiers with painted faces, warrior markings done in red on their youthful faces. They aimed their drawn bows at me. She touched her bruised forehead where she scraped the floor after our collision.

"You will regret this, you know."

"I doubt it." She regarded me in silence, probably debating how she should go about torturing me. Another soldier walked up to the girl.

"Commander Xeilu, Admiral Zhao is on his way."

"Good. Let him know we have a couple of water tribe weenies he can practice on when he arrives." She turned to leave.

"Where's Aang?" Commander Xeilu stopped.

"He's not dead. That's all you need to know." I wasn't about to let it go.

"What did you hear about Aang being captured?" She actually turned to face me. She waved the bowmen away and the two guards as well. Sokka snorted and rolled over. The girl eyed him warily.

"He's just sleeping," I explained.

"He fell asleep while he was unconscious?"

"Sokka never misses a chance to nap." Xeilu crossed her arms.

"The Avatar was captured by Admiral Zhao while in the swamp of Ji-Shoji. He was taken to a Fire Nation post to await transport to the palace. It was Zhao's proudest accomplishment and a slap in the face of our dear Prince Zuko," she grinned.

"But the same night, a masked vigilante snuck into the camp, sporting the face of the Blue Spirit and armed with two Miyazaki swords. He aided the Avatar's escape, but when faced by Admiral Zhao, he threatened to kill the boy, thus beginning the Avatar cycle all over again. Zhao allowed them to escape, but recognized a desperate attempt when he saw one. Who could be that desperate to risk breaking in and then out of a Fire Nation stronghold just to keep the Avatar away from Zhao and his father?" Xeilu crouched down to face me, "Zhao believes it was Prince Zuko who helped the Avatar escape. As do I."

I couldn't believe what she was saying…could I? Aang never mentioned anything like that and the only time he was by himself was when both Sokka and I caught the flu. A sinking feeling weighted down the pit of my stomach.

"Does…does the swamp at Ji-Shoji have frogs?"

"Yes."

"Are they frozen?"

"Yes…" She was getting suspicious. Aang had mentioned something when he returned, a regret of not making any new friends. He was gone for so long-why didn't he tell us? Xeilu read the thoughts on my face.

"Then it's true."

"I…I don't know. Aang never told us where he was that day." Xeilu glared.

"Zuko would be stupid enough to pull a stunt like that. He's a fool."

"What have you got against him?" If I could just keep her talking, I could work out a plan…

"He's a disgrace to his father, you know. He betrayed our nation."

"So I heard. He spoke out against the war."

"How did you know about that?"

"Your beloved Admiral Zhao informed us."

"Don't try to be sarcastic with me. You suck at it."

"Okay fine, I won't! Look at me; I'm the polite, simpering little water tribe peasant, who'll do your bidding and answer your every whim," I made a face, then rolled my eyes, "now _that's_ sarcasm." She was not amused. She stood back up.

"Admiral Zhao is a great leader; the best the Fire Navy has ever had. Fire Lord Ozai has great things in store for him." I really wanted to continue being nasty to her, but I didn't savor being roasted, so I let it pass.

"He has great things in store for Zhao, but not for his own son? That's pretty poor planning."

"Not exactly. Lord Ozai has a solution to his problem for the next heir to the throne, but it's not something I can discuss with _your_ kind." Despite my best efforts, I felt my face grow red with anger.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Yeah, I heard you asking for another beating from a water bender. I'd be happy to oblige." She smirked.

"Maybe later. Admiral Zhao will be here any minute and I have to present the Avatar to him. I'm in an excellent position to become General now."

"General?"

"Yes. I'll be the youngest General the Fire Nation has ever had."

"And you're what-ten?"

"I'm fourteen." Geez, she was the same age as I was! I tried not to look so surprised…or impressed.

"Good for you."

"Bad for the Avatar. Now that I have him, my position as General is secured."

"You sound pretty confident. How do you know we won't escape? We got past Zhao-twice now. "

"Yes, I've kept that in mind. That's why we've separated you and kept a sharp eye out for Zuko, in case he tries another rescue attempt."

"He's not on our side, you know." She walked over to Sokka, ignoring me. She stood over my brother, a dominating glint in her eye.

"Maybe I'll keep this one for my own amusement. He _is_ kinda cute when he screams," she looked at me out of the corner of her sharp amber eye. I didn't say anything. I just wanted her to leave. I couldn't abide cruel people, and as much as it killed me to say it, she was worse than Zuko. At least he helped save Aang. But why? It was really bothering me. She moved away from Sokka and called for the guards. Sokka's foot moved. I suddenly realized that my brother wasn't asleep-he had been listening to our conversation. He had also untied his hands. He jumped up and ran at Xeilu, wrapping the rope from his binds around her chest. She roared, stomping on Sokka's foot as she backed up. I watched stunned from my place on the ground. Sokka made sure she was tied up tight, then ripped off one of his socks as she hollered for the soldiers.

"Let's see who sleeps when they're unconscious now, huh?" He stuffed the sock in her mouth and grinned. A muffled scream escaped her. Sokka turned to me.

"Aww, she's so cute when she screams! Ha!" I laughed. Sokka bent and untied my ropes. As we ran past Xeilu, he tapped her on the chest.

"Oh, by the way, I was being sarcastic." She growled, thrusting her tied body towards Sokka. We both left the cave running just before the bowmen arrived. We shot behind a boulder and watched them scan the cave.

"Stay still," Sokka whispered, "they can't shoot what they can't see." TWACK! An arrow clattered just above our heads.

"No, but they can shoot what they can hear, bonehead!" We scrambled away down the hollow tunnel, pitch dark and full of rocks and water. I landed on my knees hard when I slipped and fell. Sokka stooped to help me up.

"C'mon!" We heard the bowmen's footsteps, steady and swift, behind us. I whistled a sharp breath at the water soaked rocks and they froze. The bowmen sounded less graceful as they slipped and banged themselves on the icy stones.

We saw light ahead and headed for it at a sprint. Light meant something was being watched closely, like the Avatar. Sokka tossed his boomerang at the first guard we saw. I used the ever running water in the cave to water whip the other and Sokka landed a clean blow on his head with his club. We found Aang, standing up untied with Mo-mo perched on his head.

"What are you _doing_, Aang?" I practically shouted. All this work to rescue him and he was already untied!

"Showing them my bison whistle." He glanced at my knees.

"Wow. What happened to you?"

"Nothing. Let's get moving before Xeilu gets loose." We walked a fast pace through the dark tunnel until we came to a divide-three tunnels, all identical, all vast and creepy. Aang peered into the center tunnel.

"HEY!" He yelled, his voice echoing down the tunnel. Mo-mo screeched and ducked behind Aang's shoulder.

"Aang! Keep it down! Those Fire Nation soldiers are still looking for us!" I whispered.

"Sor-rey…" Aang whispered. Sokka dashed past us, heading down the left tunnel.

"Wait Sokka! How do you know that's the right way?" I called. A fireball erupted behind us. We heard a female voice roar.

"Because anything's better than sticking around here to face her!" he yelped as he disappeared into the dark. Aang and I shrugged and ran after him.

IV.

We dashed down the tunnel, Mo-mo gliding behind us. We heard footsteps a few yards behind. There was more water here, which was encouraging. Aang slid to a stop and used the water wave to push the water on the ground up.

"Katara, quick! Help me freeze the water!" He had a huge wave worked up, filling the round space of the tunnel. We froze the wall solid. We didn't stick around to see if it would hold.

"Where are we going?" I gasped, running out of breath.

"I didn't really have that worked out. Sorry," Sokka replied. Aang glanced at the floor we were splashing on.

"There's a lot more water in here."

"Yeah. Where is it coming from?" The ground dipped and we all hit a deep puddle together, more of a lake really than a puddle. My clothes were soaking wet.

"Okay, stop!" I shouted. Sokka rung out his tunic. Mo-mo shook himself, water flying everywhere. Aang used a blast of air on himself, the updraft drying his clothes.

"Katara, do you want me to dry you off?" I could just imagine my hair.

"No thanks."

"Tell me again why we've stopped, sis?"

"We're just running blindly through these tunnels." I explained, "we need to find the exit and get out of here."

"What about the Hotaru? We need the water from the Falls of Hakü," Aang pointed out. I glanced at the tunnel walls. I touched them, water slipping through my fingers. Water's a curious thing. Vibration and sound are distorted, but not absorbed. You can feel people _breathe_ in water. And all water is connected, whether frozen or flowing. I searched the water. I could feel the fire benders working on the ice, but a more powerful aura of moving water coursed through me. The falls were here! The water on the wall came from the falls, but before that, it flowed in from the Hakü River, before that, it meandered in from the Sargasso Sea. That's a short trip-I've felt water from the North Pole that ended up in my South Pole village!

The fire benders had unknowingly led us to the Falls of Hakü! Talk about convenient (or luck or whatever). And a more uplifting thought occurred to me-the Fire Nation doesn't know about the Hotaru! Otherwise, they never would have held us captive so close to one of the main pieces of the bell!

"We're at the Falls of Hakü, Aang! This water is leaking in from the falls. They're just above us!" We all looked at the rocky ceiling.

"So, let's just scoop up a bottleful and get out of here," Sokka complained. I shook my head.

"Can't. It needs to be from the top of the falls. That's where the water is considered most sacred-when it's suspended."

"Well, OF COURSE!" Sokka threw up his hands in exasperation.

"How are we all going to get to the top of a waterfall from down here?" Aang asked. Good question. The sound of breaking ice called us away from our problem. Xeilu had broken through. We anxiously stared down the tunnel.

"We need to get Aang out of here. Xeilu's trying to capture him so she can gain a promotion from Zhao!"

"Who are you, the narrator?" Sokka muttered.

"How do we get out of here?" Aang wailed as an arrow whistled past. Mo-mo screeched. I pushed my fingertips into the water again. I was through with running. It was time we gave Aang weapon to fight back with. I felt the water whisper to me: _'down this tunnel, left at the end, then head left again at the split…'_ I broke into a run.

"C'mon! I know where to go."

V.

We sprinted down the tunnels, the light getting brighter little by little and finally we heard the hushed voice of the falls. Aang's face broke into a smile as the rushing water came into view right in front of us. We were going to collide with the water; the tunnel emptied right in the middle of the Hakü falls.

"Way to finally have instincts, Katara! Dad would be proud." Aang turned back to the tunnel. Xeilu's voice shouted in rage.

"Fire at the water snipes! Leave the Avatar to me!" I turned quickly to Aang.

"Forgive me, Aang."

"Huh?" I shot him with a heavy blast of water.

"Uh sis, what'd you do that for…HEY!" Sokka yelped as I also doused him with water, pushed Aang into his arms and froze them both.

"Get him to safety, Sokka. I'll catch up." Aang realized what I was going to do.

"Katara," he whispered, "no…"

"I'm sorry Aang." I pushed them backwards, a couple of boys stuck frozen like two glaciers that pass in time and get tangled in each other's lives. They were my world, the two boys I cared for most: my brother, my equal, and the savior of our world, my best friend; and I had to let them go. I just hoped my plan would work. I didn't want this to be our goodbye.

I watched them slide through the Hakü falls and break the still surface of the lake below. The ice should thaw soon with the Hakü River being as warm as it was. After all, the Sargasso Sea comes out of a volcano!

I could see Xeilu's outline in the tunnel as she neared the mouth of the cave. Time to get going. I had never bent this much water before. I knew the water was willing, but my body was weak with exhaustion. Couldn't think about that now.

I kicked off my shoes, my snowshoes long gone. Mittens were thrown off, coat discarded. I had to become the water, feel it snake through my toes, run slippery through my hands. It was the only way this would work.

I stood before the loud, chaotic water, eyes closed. This was a leap of faith. I had to be completely in tune with the Falls of Hakü. I listened. The falls chattered insanely fast, a roar of voices too confused to discern any one word, but collectively urging me to come to it. I felt my bare toes curl over the edge of the rock. A light mist electrified my body. This was it. Give me strength, river, come and claim me…

I stepped into the falling water, the sterner stuff of rock left behind. The water held me and I stared up, letting the falls rain on my face. I willed the water to take me up and as my feet lifted to climb, the water flowed and I rose like a flower that stretched for the sky, face turned up to the sun. I wasn't even aware of the fire benders below. My place was here in these waves, in this perfect blue that brought me out over the lip of the falls.

I emerged, wet but exhilarated, poised at the edge of the Hakü River; the water that paused before spilling over looked like fractured rainbows in the bright sunlight. It was morning. The snow had stopped. I took the small bottle from my belt and let the Hakü rush into it at its own pace. I slowly corked the full bottle, reluctant to leave the water, my element.

"Thank you," I murmured. I could see Sokka and Aang from the other side of the river, hidden in the deep brush, waving for me. The fire benders had backtracked into the cave, their footsteps in the water betraying their location-they were heading down to the shore! I had to get down there. We had to leave! By now, Zhao had arrived and every fire bender would converge on this beach to roast Sokka and Aang!

I've never been fond of heights. Being up this high, even though my toes were stuck in water, was nerve-wracking. Unfortunately, I saw only one option on how to reach Aang and Sokka before the Fire Nation did.

"Gran-Gran would kill me if she saw this, "I thought. I turned, facing the open abyss of the river below. Well, here goes nothing. I leaned forward…

…suddenly, a hand reached out and snagged my braid, yanking my head back. Xeilu, a rope around her waist, had dared wade into the river. She was spared going over the falls by a man holding the rope: Zhao. I knew the face of Taro Hün-dai's killer well; it was still bruised and burned from his encounter with the dead man's daughter. Xeilu's smile was twisted to match the cruel look in Zhao's eye.

"Leaving us so soon?"

"Seemed like the best idea at the time." She snapped my head back with a sharp jerk of her hand. I tried to bite back my cry of pain. No point in giving her the pleasure of knowing it hurt.

"I'm not too fond of people who waste my time. The Avatar is my prize. I won't let him escape. He'll come back for you and when he does, we'll make an exchange."

"He'll never surrender to the Fire Nation just to save me. His mission is more important than one girl. You're a fool if you can't realize that, Xeilu. At least Zuko knew that." Xeilu snarled and yanked me close to her.

"Don't pretend he's a hero. Zuko is a spineless traitor and helping the Avatar escape proves that."

"No, Xeilu, helping someone is not a weakness. Zuko may be a traitor, but he wanted to help his people. Too bad you Fire Nation associate compassion with weakness-a good leader knows when to put his people first."

"A good leader knows when to cut out the deadwood to make way for progress," Xeilu spat, "Sacrifices are part of the plan if we want better people ruling this world."

"Better people? Will you listen to yourself? No one has that right to decide who should live in this world and who doesn't."

"That's why you water benders are all but extinct. You're a weak and sniveling, pathetic lot."  
"Oh really? Why don't you ask Admiral Zhao why he is still recovering from his injuries? No one weak or pathetic could have done that." She glanced at Zhao with a wary eye.

" Wanna know who gave him his beating?" From the way she hesitated, Zhao had never told Xeilu.

"Shut up," she growled.

"It was a water bender, Xeilu. She beat Zhao within a breath of his life. She would have killed him, your beloved mentor, had someone not stopped her."

"No. It's a lie. He said…"

"I was there. Ask him. It's true."

"And who…who stopped this water bender from killing him?"

"Prince Zuko." She released me. Her face was fractured in disbelief and confusion.

"Zuko? That coward? Why would he…you lie! Zhao would never…" she fumbled, trying to grasp what I had told her. Scars and bruises always stung, but the truth was the worst blow.

"Xeilu! What are you doing? Bring her here!" Xeilu turned slowly to face Zhao. He held the rope, coiled in his large fists, keeping her adrift in the rapids.

"Mentor, who gave you those scars?"

"That is none of your concern. Bring the water bender here. She's our trade for the Avatar!"

"I have to know, Mentor. Does she speak the truth? Was it a water bender?" Zhao's face was dark, but his eyes betrayed his fear.

"I told you, Xeilu, it's none of your concern."

"Then it's true," her voice was low, somber, as if the world had just crumbled from beneath her. I watched from the edge of the falls, Aang and Sokka forgotten. She snapped her head up, eyes bright.

"And the rumors of the Agni-kai with Zuko? Are those also true? Did you lose to the banished Prince, Mentor?" Zhao remained silent. Her rage was boiling the water around her.

"ANSWER ME!"

"Fine. Yes, I lost to the haughty Fire Prince. And the water bender was not what she seemed. But no one must know these things. I am the Admiral of the Fire Nation's Navy. Who would fear and respect their leader if they knew he was bested by a couple of children?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Leaders shouldn't be feared for their respect."

"And I suppose you won't fear the Fire Nation when we conquer the Earth Kingdom and capture your only means of protection?"

"The Avatar isn't the only person protecting us," I said, "we protect our villages by fighting the Fire Nation. Water benders and Earth benders will come together to defend their people. You may have scattered the Air benders, but I don't think Aang is the last. And as for your people, those loyal to the Fire Nation," I shrugged my shoulders, "well, maybe they would benefit from a better leader, someone who will protect them and not treat them like a wall to hide behind." I couldn't believe I was rooting for Zuko, but at this point, I was fed up with those few Fire Nation hotheads who think they are above everyone else. Xeilu had watched our exchange.

"Xeilu. Bring her here."

She hesitated.

"Xeilu!" The fire bender girl turned to me.

"I can be a General. I would have power. What would your Avatar give me that Zhao cannot?" I never even blinked.

"Hope."

"That's a pretty lame answer…" she smiled, "but I'll take it." She turned from me and faced Zhao. He read the answer on her face.

"Pity. You were such a brilliant student, one of my best."

"What can I say? I'm sick of this war. I'm tired of the anger and the screaming of children in the night. You may fight this war and then move on, Zhao, but what will be left for the next generation, for my generation?"

"So you would become a traitor, like Zuko?"

"I'm not a traitor. I want the Fire Nation to prosper. But we're not the superior nation we thought. Clearly the fight with the water bender has shown you that. And our Lord Ozai's ambition can be conquered by a twelve year old boy. I want to see peace in my lifetime, Mentor. Maybe this Avatar can…"

"Enough, you disgrace. Your fire-bashing is offensive to my ears. And since you are no longer loyal to Lord Ozai's vision, _and_ you know my secret about the water bender, well…."he jiggled the rope, "I suppose there's no reason to keep you afloat. Have a nice swim, Xeilu." He tossed the rope into the sea and left.

VI.

Xeilu couldn't swim. What did fire benders have against swimming? She tried to grab hold of the slippery rocks near the edge, but couldn't find get a firm grip on them. I scrambled in the water for the rope and caught it in my hands just as she went over.

The rope snapped taunt over the falls. I knew right away I couldn't hold her for long.

"Let go! You can't hold on forever!"

"I'm not letting go!"

"You're a fool!"

"Remind me again why I'm saving your life?" Aang and Sokka soared above the falls on Appa. They swooped down to Xeilu, where Sokka stretched out an arm for her. They pulled her aboard and circled back for me. Aang threw his arms around me.

"Katara! You're okay!"

"Sure am. Listen, Aang, I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay," Aang shrugged, "I know why you did it."

"You do?"

"Sure! Walking up the falls alone? That must have been awesome!" Xeilu pointed to Aang.

"The fate of our world lies in _his_ hands?" I smiled.

"Aang's the Avatar. He can save the world." Sokka sat beside me.

"He's not the only one. According to Lenara, she thinks Zuko's got a part to play."

"Lenara?" Xeilu raised her eyebrow.

"The water bender that fought Zhao," I explained, "she's on Zuko's ship."

"Really? And yet, I'm not surprised." We stopped a little closer to the village of Hakü and dropped Xeilu off. She looked up at us.

"Will you be okay here?" I called.

"I'll be fine. I've kept an eye on the underground movement here, so I should be able to connect with them. Won't be easy to convince them of everything that's happened, though."

"The right path is almost never the easiest," I said, sliding down off of Appa, "but it's the most satisfying in the end."

"It better be," she glanced up at Aang, "take care, Avatar. I'll be watching you with great interest." I stuck out my hand.

"I'm sure we'll see you again."

"I doubt it." She grasped mine and shook it. We smiled. Still telling lies.

Appa waited until I had run up his tail to the saddle, then took off to the sky. We soared past the Hakü falls a final time. I waited until the sun set, then dropped the bottle with Sokka's other sock attached into the sea. The Hotaru was almost complete. Aang's time would soon come, and ours, too. For nothing in this world goes untouched by the hands of war, and no child should be left defenseless in it, so long as they have one another to lean on.


	4. Chapter 4

**BANNER**

**I.**

I hate doing the right thing. Whenever I make that choice, I end up losing everything. Last time it cost me my home, my throne, my honor. This time, I lost the only person who ever made me whole. My life is a never ending curse.

It started with the bottle. Useless junk from the sea normally doesn't bother me, but the look on her face…she held something of great importance in that frozen, snow covered bottle. She had a secret. I hate secrets.

I consulted my uncle, who was seated on the deck in his winter robes, eating noodles.

"What do you think is in it?" He scratched his beard.

"Well, could be a number of things, Prince Zuko. Perhaps a love letter from a secret admirer, eh?" He jabbed me in the ribs. The old fool.

"Uncle!"

"Why don't you ask Lenara, then? After all, this is the third bottle she's pulled from the sea." I couldn't control my anger.

_"THE THIRD!"_ Uncle Iroh pulled his noodles away from the flames that erupted around me.

"Calm down, Prince Zuko. People use the old communication system now and again. Perhaps she is writing to her water tribe."

"Or perhaps, she's in contact with the Avatar." Uncle Iroh pointed to the helmsman's tower with his chopsticks.

"The quickest way to an answer is a straight line." I rolled my eyes. Him and his damn proverbs. I walked to the tower and headed for the stairs when I heard a loud bang, like metal on metal, from above. I watched as sparks came from the portside of the tower. Now what? This ship was falling apart!

I walked to portside and looked up. A girl, wrapped in a heavy coat, was perched on one of the metal rungs leading up the tower, her ankles tucked behind the rung below. She delivered another blow to the tower with her hammer. Her robes under the coat rippled in the breeze. I hoped she knew what she was doing up there…there was another bang, louder this time.

"Stop putting holes in my ship!" She rolled backwards, hanging upside down by her legs to look at me.

"The port side was damaged by that ice storm last week." She dropped the hammer in a tool box that was hooked to a rung just below her and found a wrench. She bent back upright and worked on tightening a bolt, then rubbed her bare hands together for warmth.

"Why are you repairing the ship? We have the crewmen for that."

"What's wrong with doing an honest day's work? You should try it sometime." I swallowed the remark. She lived for goading me, I swear it.

"Where did you learn to repair Fire Navy ships?" She glanced down at me with a smile.

"My father."

"Is there anything he _didn't_ teach you?"

"Nope." She tossed the wrench back in the tool box and started her decent to the deck. Lenara Hün-dai reached the deck and turned to look at me, her long red hair swept back from her face, green eyes sharp.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm about ready to hit the water."

"Are you crazy? It's snowing!"

"So?" I sighed. Water benders.

"You gotta remember, Zuko, I've lived half my life in the North Pole. We used to swim those waters every day. Compared to the pole, this sea will seem like a warm bath."

"Maybe to you."

"You coming?" Before I could decline, my uncle approached us, his noodle bowl empty.

"Not yet. We need to begin your training today, Lenara."

"Alright. Let me get these tools back to Bajoü and I'll be up here in a few minutes."

"Wait." Uncle Iroh reached inside his sleeves and presented Lenara with official Fir e Nation training garb.

"You should begin this training as a fire bender, just as you should finish it as one. After all, you carry the name of a proud and disciplined family of fire benders and it's time we regard you as one." I watched her take the uniform and bow.

"Thanks, Iroh." He nudged me again.

"Actually, it was my nephew's idea," he lied. She looked at me, a warm smile on her face. God, I hate it when he lies like that. He knows I'm at my weakest when she notices me. And it's been getting worse lately. I can hardly concentrate during evening meditation without thinking of her. Lenara's hair blew across her face and she pushed it away. The ends were dark and jagged-was she burning her hair?

"Iroh, do you have your sword with you? I need to borrow it." Iroh blinked his surprise at the request, but silently handed his blade to her. That was curious-Uncle Iroh hardly lets anyone touch his sword. What was she up to?

II.

The sun was at the top of its arc, a cold hard disc on a cloudy day. Time for mid-day training. Even though the snow was continuing to fall, I had to wear my sleeveless vest. Official training dictates proper garb. Uncle Iroh seated himself on a nearby crate, a cup of hot tea in his hand.

"Let's begin with your basics, Prince Zuko." As usual, it always began with the lousy first steps of fire bending. I hated back-peddling to those easy moves, but my uncle believes they are at the core of every fire bender's regiment. Also, it's easier to just do them then argue with him.

As I was halfway through the Dragon Step, another soldier approached us.

"Continue with your training, Prince Zuko, I will see what he wants." I bent my weight on one foot, concentrating. I despise balance. The water bender makes it look so easy…there I go, thinking of her again.

Suddenly, Uncle Iroh laughed. That broke my concentration and I gave up, walking to my uncle and the soldier.

"What's going on?" I glanced at Uncle Iroh. He wiped a tear from his eye.

"Forgive me. I just didn't recognize you! I thought you were one of our soldiers!" I gave him a deranged look. Weird. I studied the soldier. And then looked harder. I wasn't aware I was leaning in until the soldier spoke.

"What? I didn't think it looked _that_ bad." That was the last thing I expected to hear: a woman's voice from a male uniform. My stomach dropped-she had cut her hair off. It was short and, like a male soldier from the Fire Nation, tied up in a top knot, a few loose strands hung around her ears. She still had the white streaked among the red. She handed Uncle Iroh his sword. I finally found my voice.

"Lenara?"

"Well, I couldn't have my long hair getting in the way," she explained, "it was getting burned when I…uh…tried a couple of fireballs. But don't worry," she waved her hands sheepishly, "the walls are fine, just a little scorched."

"But your hair…"

"It'll grow back. Besides," she pushed my leaning body back with one finger, "the bald thing only looks good on you."

"Well, that's settled. Let's begin!" Iroh took Lenara around the shoulders and steered her away, winking at me over his shoulder. Long hair was a trademark of the water benders, girls copying their mothers. It must have taken all of her to separate herself from the last reminder she had of her mother.

Uncle Iroh began with (big surprise here) the basics. She watched him first, then attempted the moves herself while my uncle corrected her.

"Excellent balance, Lenara, but make sure your breath moves through your shoulder to your fist." She stepped again and fired another flame. The ribbon holding her hair up snapped in the wind. It looked familiar. It was the sash from my armor. Her hand had healed, but she had found another way to keep it with her. Can't say I wasn't flattered.

"Good. Let's try the next move." This went on for two hours. By the time the sun was moving towards the sea, I had run through my advanced set and practiced a few mock battles with the guards on duty for training that day. The snow had stopped. We had drifted into warmer waters, the shores stripped of anything cold. Iroh nodded to us.

"We will stop for today. You did well, Lenara. Just remember to use your breath as your strength, not your muscle. When you learn that, you can teach it to my nephew," he smirked. Lenara bowed and Iroh walked to the helmsman's tower. She went into first step.

"What are you doing?"

"If I practice it right away, I'll remember it better. I want it to become second nature to me. That way, I won't lose control the way I did…well, you know." She stopped and looked right at me.

"I never did thank you for what you did."

"Don't worry about it."

"You really know how to charm a girl, don't you?"

"Not really. Girls don't find me charming."

"I was being sarcastic."

"Oh." She smiled, shaking her head.

"Well, thanks anyways. You were right to stop me. I think it would have been hard to live with the fact that I had killed someone. You know, I never believed Father when he said he would send someone to watch over me," she looked at me, "I guess I have to believe him now." I willed myself not to flinch as she stepped closer to me, this overwhelming sense of pride burned through me; for once, doing the right thing didn't seem so bad…

She walked a few paces away from me and went into first step again.

"Your form is off."

"Then show me how." I walked to her left side, then stepped into the first move, the Fire Lotus.

"Keep your wrist straight."

"Like this?"

"Yes. And always keep your head up," I lifted her chin gently with my hand, "eyes ahead. Never look down to your opponent."

"Got it. Go through the first set. I'll follow." I moved first and Lenara followed my steps, picking up the moves fast. Soon we were moving through them at the same time, fire aside fire, shouts matched in the air. No one had ever been able to match my pace, but her rhythm never faltered. I wasn't aware of Iroh watching us, a proud smile on his face. All I saw was the sun ahead and felt the spirit of one that moved with me.

III.

We stopped when the sun was painting its departure in burnt reds and oranges. The ship had slowed. They were getting ready for the night's pursuit. Lenara kicked off her boots.

"That does it. It's time for a swim!" Before I could blink, she ran to the edge of the ship and dived off into the waves. What a goon. It must have been two degrees in there!

I walked to the rails and watched her swim rapidly in time with the ship. The engine was shutting down. As it slowed to a stop, she looked up at me, treading water.

"You gonna stay up there or are you coming in?" I wrinkled my nose.

"I'm not much for swimming."

"The water's pretty cool."

"That's the problem."

"Oh, c'mon, Zuko! It's not that cold. Afraid of having a little fun for once in your life?"

"No, I just…a fire bender's place is not in the water, it's…."

"GANGWAY!" I turned in time to watch Uncle Iroh sail over the rail and cannonball into the water, sending up a wave that crashed on the deck. I sighed. I'm related to this man. He bobbed to the surface and pushed himself on his back atop the waves, his loincloth the only clothing he chose to wear. The great General Iroh was swimming in the sea…practically naked. This was so embarrassing…

"You should learn to relax, nephew. The water is very soothing." Lenara brushed the water up around her, raising her up to the deck of the ship. She leaned her arms on the rail and looked right at me.

"So, how about that swim?"

"I told you, I don't belong down there."

"According to the Fire Nation, you don't belong anywhere. Aren't you tired of other people telling you where you belong?" I couldn't deny that.

"Besides, it's not where you belong; it's who you belong with. Do you belong on this ship alone on the deck or in the water with an uncle who thinks the world of you and a friend who's about ready to lower herself to begging for your company?" I knew she was joking, but it felt good to hear someone actually wanted me around.

"Don't you ever get tired of being right all the time?" She smiled.

"Sometimes." I removed my own boots. That water was going to be cold as hell. I stepped onto the rail and dived into the water. The cool abyss consumed me, almost healing my weary body. So this was her element. I surfaced and found Lenara sitting on top of the water, looking down at me.

"Glad you came."

"I just came in to cool off, that's all." A stream of water splashed my face. I glared. Lenara laughed.

"How about now? Ya cooled off yet?" Oh, she was in for it. I dunked her below the waves, but she grabbed my ankle and we both disappeared beneath the surface. The sun dipped below the sea at the same moment. I'll never admit this to a soul again, but that was one of the best days of my life. I almost forgot about the Avatar. Almost. It was Lenara who mentioned it to me.

"What are your plans a week from today?"

"I…well, to find the Avatar."

"We're approaching the Western Air Temple. I'm sure you were aware of that?" I frowned.

"I knew we were getting close. Why? Is the Avatar there?"

"Ever the persistent Prince. No, but something else is. I need to stop by that temple when we reach it next week." A suspicion boiled in my thoughts.

"Does this have anything to do with your father's mission."

"Yes, actually, it's the last piece of the gift I have to give to Aang."

"That temple will be swarming with Fire Nation soldiers. They've been ordered to guard any Air Temple the Avatar would return to."

"Which is why I was wondering if you had any plans." I must have looked pretty disturbed because she splashed me again.

"Wake up, Zuko! It's time to embrace your destiny!"

"You mean your destiny."

"Well, our destiny, then. You know, it would be a sneaky way to sock it to Zhao if we got past his soldiers." I did like the sound of that.

"Fine. But we have to leave for the temple before dawn."

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

"Why do I let you talk me into these ventures?" She swam a little closer.

"Because I enjoy your company, remember? Actually, I know you'll watch my back. This trip is extremely important and I only get one shot at it." Iroh floated our way.

"If you could," he pointed up to the deck, "I'm getting pruney." Lenara waved the water up, pushing my uncle above us on a cushion of water.

"Thanks for putting off your search for me, Zuko. It means a lot."

"You owe me."

"Is that really how you feel?" I thought about it and shook my head.

"No, I suppose not." She bent us both back up to the ship. We stood on the deck, dripping wet under the purple sky, and she fixed me with her eyes, a serious expression fallen over her features.

"Why do you measure worth in what favors are owed you or what power you have over others?"

"I don't know," I grumbled.

"And while we're at it, why beat yourself up for the things you never lost? Can't you see you're more than the scar on your face or the past you keep hauling around?" She was confronting my demons again. I always get defensive when my soul is being ripped opened.

"I'll never forget what he did to me. Never."

"And you shouldn't."  
"But you want me to ignore a scar that reminds me every day of the solitary sentence I have to live with? To ignore the shame?"

"That's your battle. I just hope you know that the scar and the royal title and everything that the Fire Nation has dumped on you before it turned you away doesn't make you who you are to me." I slowed my breathing.

"And what am I to you?"

"Well, what else can I say? You're Zuko."

"Could you be little more vague; I almost understood that." She shook her head, a grin on her lips.

"Just remember- you could fall into the abyss chasing your damn ambition and I would still respect you, Zuko. _That _is what you mean to me." Curse the Avatar, I felt my blood run hot in my face, a flame that licked through my veins. Somehow she always made me feel slightly less repulsive.

"Someday," she said, turning to leave, "I hope you'll realize you've had your honor all along. The respect of those who care for you should outweigh those who banished you without a second thought." She disappeared into the darkness of the galley.

Yes, I knew she was right. But my demons weren't finished with me yet. A confrontation was in the cards and if this world had an ounce of justice in it, I would confront my father before it all ended. A scar for a scar, a life for a life. Half of me wanted to believe he would welcome me back home. The other half knew better. This was no longer the obsession it had begun as; it had cooled to acceptance of defeat when Zhao had been granted the task of capturing the Avatar. True, I helped the Avatar escape, but it was a double-edged temptation to capture the boy myself. I wasn't sure whose side I was on anymore. But Lenara seemed sure I was capable of something great. All I knew was that I longed for home and the only person that made me feel anywhere close to that was an enemy of my homeland, a traitor, and prisoner, like me. And God, it felt good to be whole.

IV.

Uncle Iroh approached me a few days later in the dining chamber, a worried look on his old features. He hardly betrayed his anxiety, so I prepared myself for the worst.

"What's the bad news?" I asked before he even opened his mouth.

"Well, Prince Zuko! Your intuition is getting stronger. Have you been…"

"Enough banter, Uncle. What have you to tell me." He grew solemn and sat down opposite me. He deposited a scroll, worn and faded, on the table.

"Your trip to the Western Air Temple is more than a sight-seeing tour, nephew. That temple is home to the archives of the Avatar. It has the most extensive collection of history and lore about the Avatar than anywhere in the world."

"Really?"

"Yes. It is also home to the Rü-lan: the sacred banners of the Air bender Avatars. They are rumored to contain the secrets of air bending on them and are said to be woven from the wind." Iroh shifted and unrolled the scroll across the table at me. The paper uncoiled to show an indiscernible sketch at the top, but the word printed at the bottom was just as puzzling.

"Hotaru? What's that?"

"It means 'Bell of the Avatar'."

"Okay. So what?"

"There were a few ancient weapons the Avatar always carried," my uncle explained, "but were lost along the lines of Avatars. One of those weapons was a bell that, if rung by the Avatar, would call the people of this world together. He could use it to announce important news or…"

"…gather an army," I finished. Uncle Iroh nodded.

"The bell must be made from each of the four elements: metal for fire, stones for earth, that kind of thing. But the objects could not be ordinary. The metal, for example, must be made from a special ore in the Yukito Mountains."

"Those glass lumps we passed a while ago?"

"Yes. The stones are the Sacred stones of the Earth Temple of Ashitaka. That was also on our path. However, the water from the falls of Hakü was not. But I'm sure the water could easily be transported to our path by way of, say, a bottle…" My eyes got a little wider.

"I doubt our meeting with the Avatar in the woods was a coincidence. Those woods were a few miles shy of the Yukito Mountains," Uncle Iroh commented.

"And the air element? The banners at the temple, I suppose?"

"Yes nephew. Lenara is constructing the Hotaru for the Avatar to use. If the people of this world gather around him and face the Fire Nation army, the Avatar will completely evade your grasp." I gave my uncle a weary look. I wasn't so sure about _that_.

"So what you're saying is the Avatar will call together all the people my father has tortured, betrayed and devastated with his war and use them to level the Fire Nation army while the Avatar destroys my father? Can't say I'm in a panic to stop him, uncle."

"Perhaps not, Prince Zuko, but consider this-if the Avatar does release this world of its war and the nations are free, the Fire Nation's fate is left in his hands. Our people are innocent, but the reputation of the Fire Nation has been tarnished beyond repair. The Avatar is forgiving, but he is also young and emotional. We destroyed his only family years ago at the Southern Air Temple. Peaceful monks murdered in the spring of forty years past. Has it been that long?" Uncle drifted off, lost in thought. I contemplated what he had said.

Would the Avatar be bitter enough to forsake my people? It didn't seem possible, but the nations had drifted apart. The boy I rescued didn't seem to harbor any anger against me. But could I take the chance that he never would? Could I risk the welfare and safety of my people? This mission through Purgatory wasn't really about my honor or revenge: it was about the Fire Nation, my home, my people. It was always about them. I met my uncle's eyes.

"It is unfortunate that you are burdened by so much, Prince Zuko, but you have a responsibility as the Prince of the Fire Nation to put your people's interests first. The best way to do that is to reclaim your place in the royal line. Your father gave you a way to do that-to capture the Avatar," he leaned forward, a mischievous grin on his face, "He was a fool to underestimate you. His own order to find the Avatar will be his undoing. I've only known you to be self-sacrificing when it comes to your fellow Fire Nation patriots, nephew. You've made me proud of our family again with your compassion and relentless determination. If you regain the throne, the Fire Nation's future will be very bright indeed." Man, leave it to Uncle Iroh to make you feel like a diamond on this rough rock of a world.

"Thanks, Uncle."

"You are welcome, Prince Zuko. And do me one favor."

"What's that?" Iroh stood up from the table.

"I lost her aunt due to my duties as a General. Don't lose Lenara because of yours. You can be both a leader and a companion, you know." He passed through the doorway, his lonely footsteps echoed the loss he carried with him. I never knew what burdens Uncle Iroh carried with him. He never made them known. He was always more concerned with the troubles of those around him. And here he lost the company of this woman in order to serve in my grandfather's army. I clenched my fists. Damn this war.

V.

Lenara and I boarded my personal vessel a week later and drifted for the Western Air Temple. We figured two people would be less noticeable than an army of crewmen. Iroh agreed to cover our wake and continue on, making the Fire Prince's presence known without my actually being there.

The minute the boat touched shore, we disembarked and raced for the rocky cover of the foothills. Like every Air Temple, the Western Temple was built atop a sharp, vertical mountain. Even the clouds hung below the temple.

"Did they have to build it so high up?"

"C'mon, where's your sense of adventure?"

"Back in the boat." Lenara crouched low, racing from outcrop to outcrop, the scattering of Fire Nation soldiers keeping a vigilant eye out for us. We approached the solid base of the mountain.

"How are we going to get up there? We don't have a hot-air glider." Lenara rolled a large rock away from a hole in the ground.

"We are going to air bend ourselves up there."

"Right. Uh, about that: we're not air benders."

"Nope, but hot air rises, and with a little pressure, we can get up to the path that leads to the temple. Now, this will make an obnoxious amount of noise, so we only get one chance at this." I heard water below the ground. A geyser. Great.

She used her fire to boil the water, then pointed to another hole in the ground.

"Stand right above that!" She ran to me and encircled her arm around my shoulders.

"Hold on!" I watched as she thrust the water below. The pressure whistled through the ground. The earth shook in protest. I involuntarily pulled Lenara closer to me. The hot air burst through the hole and we soared through the air, separated by the force. We arced towards the mountain. I honestly thought we would end up as smears on the rocky wall. Instead we landed bruised and in a heap on the mountain path.

"I didn't know there would be broken bones on this trip," I muttered, stretching my soar back.

"Hey, I got us up here, didn't I?" Lenara rubbed her scraped elbow.

"How are we getting down?"

"You know, I haven't quite figured that out yet." We ran as fast as our fractured bodies would allow to the temple. Those soldiers were sure to have heard that eruption and we wouldn't have much time up here to ourselves.

Lenara paused in the doorway of the massive, vertical cone of the air temple, a building made of dried mud slabs and white clay. She scanned the main hall.

"Now, if I were a sacred Air bender banner, where would I be," she mused to herself. I grabbed her arm.

"Not here. C'mon." We ran to the archive, which was located in the middle of the temple. The door, once locked, was opened. Lenara paused as I moved on into the room. I turned to her.

"What?"

"Only an air bender could have opened this door."

"So?"

"Soooo….who opened the door? Aang's the only air bender I know and he hasn't been to this temple. Ever."

"Fire Nation soldiers could have…"

"No, they couldn't have. Doesn't the Fire Temple for Avatar Roku have a similar door that only fire will open?" I thought back to the temple where the Avatar had enclosed himself in the sacred chamber with the spirit of Roku.

"Yes. But I was under the impression that the Avatar was the last air bender."

"Me, too…" she trailed off, then her face lit up.

"What if…what if Aang's not the last air bender? What if there are others out there who escaped the Fire Nation? There's got to be! The door is proof! Wait 'til I tell Aang!" She suddenly threw her arms around me in an embrace. I laughed my surprise. She was so unpredictable, and I loved her for it. Yes, I loved her…don't get too excited.

"Okay, there's other air benders. Now, focus. We came here for a reason, remember?" She calmed down.

"Right. Sorry." We entered the room together and her face changed from excitement to devastation.

"What _happened_ in here?" The records had been scattered, scrolls torn and discarded on the floor. The ash of a thousand years of lore and history lay thick on the floor. A tell-tale Fire Nation helmet lay among the scarred and burnt books. Lenara's voice was a ghost in the room.

"It's gone. A whole history of the Avatar…everything…" I stood behind her. She dropped to her knees before I could say a word.

"Father, I'm sorry; I failed you-you and the Avatar." Her hands searched out a thin gold band buried in the ash.

"An air bender lay here…still warm…"she rolled the band back and forth in her hands, lost in thought and time. I wasn't about to write this off. I circled the room, rooting through half charred scrolls and rubble for some clue of the Rü-lan. Another child lost…I was getting fed up with this war. I just happened to glance at the brick wall near the floor and a tiny imperfection in one of the bricks caught my eye. I moved closer. I knew that mark.

"I don't believe it," I said aloud.

"What?" Lenara walked over and joined me, crouching down.

"Recognize that?" She gasped, a smile hesitating on her face.

"The mark of the Hün-dai? How…"

"Who knows? C'mon, we don't have much time!" We found the seams and chiseled the mortar until we could move the stone away. Lenara reached inside and pulled out a thin scroll made of dusty cloth, covered in runes and symbols. She looked at me, a warm smile on her face.

"The Rü-lan, last known scroll of the Air benders. You found it, Zuko! Way to think like a mad genius!"

"I'll bet the monks put your family mark on it for your father."

"I'm sure. We're in your debt for this; my father and I."

"Forget it. You saved my ship, I helped with your mission. We're square." As Lenara scanned the symbols on the scroll, I picked my way to another corner and almost stepped on a handful of lone scrolls that lay buried under ash and stone. I unrolled a few of them slowly; these were painted on rough, heavy paper. The ink was faded, but still complete. I unraveled the next and stopped. It couldn't be…could it? In the archives of an Air Temple? I glanced at Lenara, but she was too engrossed in the Rü-lan to notice.

A shout broke the silence of the temple. We jumped to our feet. I stuck the scroll in my sleeve, Lenara pocketed the Rü-lan, and we ran for the temple door. Fire Nation soldiers snaked up the path at a tireless sprint.

"Got any ideas?" Lenara asked. I searched the main hall. A few clay masks hung abandoned by the door. They showed the Blue Spirit. Was my life doomed to repetition?

"Here," I tossed a mask to Lenara, "move fast, aim low." She recognized the face. A grin appeared.

"Got it."

"Ready?" I pulled my mask down.

"Remember to use your breath, not your muscle."

"What are you, my uncle?"

"Guess we all have a little Iroh in us, huh?"

"Two uncles I don't need."

"Then good luck. I'll meet you below." She ran like the wind at the first soldier, fired a long flame at him, dropped and swept the other down with a kick. She was up and running before I made it out the temple door. I guess having the Rü-lan restored her strength. It was encouraging watching her fight. I, on the other hand, felt only one thing as I bared down on the nearest fire bender- _get me off this damn mountain!_

VI.

And before I knew it…she was gone. Uncle Iroh warned me, but I was still amazed how quickly time passed. I was also aware how empty the ship felt.

With the Rü-lan secured, Lenara set to work putting the Hotaru together. I could catch the spark of light from her room in the long hours of the night. Sometimes, I finished my meditation and retired to bed before she did. I think she wasn't getting much sleep.

Winter passed with a final storm, and the waters began to warm again. The ice cleared, watersheds filled, and slowly the trees sported spots of green on the weather-torn branches. A different wind blew, anxious and heavy. It was the wind that changed the day.

We were finishing training, one last practice Agni-kai before the evening meal. Lenara had improved a great deal during the winter months. She still cheated, using water bending to catch me off guard, but nothing like our first fight. We kept it civil.

"You call that fire bending?" she yelled, blasting a flame at me, "I've seen scarier stuff comin' outta my…"  
"Assuming you could even hit the broad side of a Fire Navy ship, water leech!"  
"I thought we were above name calling, Scarface! Now, watch this!" She bent a six foot wave over the deck. I backed up.

"Hey, that's cheating!"

"All's fair in Agni-kai!" I grinned as the shadow fell over me.

"You're gonna get it."

"I quiver with fear." A sudden, sharp wind tore over the deck, knocking Lenara down. It took all my strength to remain standing in the gale. The wave was broken and blew backwards to settle into the sea. The wind dropped, then moved on. Uncle Iroh appeared and helped Lenara to her feet.

"Strange winds blowing this time of year." Lenara nodded and, without a word, turned and walked briskly to the decks below.

"It's time," my uncle said.

"Time for what?"

"Time," Uncle Iroh answered, "to present the Avatar with the Hotaru." He glanced at the horizon, the sun struggling to submerge below the sea.

"The Avatar calls her. He must not be too far away," he turned to me, "so, what will you do?" Yeah, what indeed?

She stayed in her room the rest of the night. Just before dawn, someone shook me out of my sleep.

"Whoever you are," I grumbled, eyes pinched shut, "you'd better have a damn good reason for waking me this early." My uncle's voice spoke in the dark.

"Lenara is leaving." I've never dressed faster in my life.

We stood, just my mentor and I, on the deck, dawn beginning to wash some color in the sky. We saw Lenara, a small leather satchel slung over her shoulder, sneaking past the helmsman's tower, glancing behind her. She turned and stopped quick when she saw us.

"You didn't really think you could leave without saying goodbye, hmm?" Iroh chuckled. Lenara walked up to us.

"I don't do goodbyes."

"You're going to the Avatar," I said.

"That's the plan."

"And the Hotaru is complete?"

"Figured that out, huh?" She adjusted the strap around her shoulder, "Aang's time is near. And my father's mission is almost done…it'll be a relief to finish. I just hope it works. I've never made an Avatar weapon before." She touched the scar on her hand, where I had burned the wound closed.

"You know, you still have yet to tell me where the Avatar is." I was stalling for time and she knew it, but I couldn't help it.

"We never finished that Agni-Kai, so I'm not required to tell you anything." I sighed. Ever the stubborn Hün-dai.

"I need to find the Avatar, Lenara, for my people's sake. Even if my father is overthrown by the Avatar, my people's future is in his hands. I will still be in exile. And what if the Avatar ignores the needs of the Fire Nation?"

"Do you really think Aang could be that cruel?"

"I'm not sure."

"I think you know he would never neglect the needs of anyone, Fire Nation or no. He was once Avatar Roku, remember? He wouldn't forsake the Fire Nation. And about your exile: who's going to argue that you are the heir to the throne of the Fire Nation? If Aang overthrows your father, you are the next in the royal bloodline, exile-be-damned." She grinned.

"I'm not going to tell you where Aang is, Zuko, so you might as well let him rest. All the fire in the world couldn't summon it out of me." I glared. She was getting in the way of my ambition, but I really couldn't hold it against her. She had her ambition, too.

"Don't tell me I'll have to fight you to get off this ship."

"You're not a prisoner. Besides, I don't want to risk another Agni-kai with you."

"Afraid I'll win or afraid I'll kiss you again?" I swallowed. Did she have to be so forward? Did I have to be so hesitant?

"Neither."

"I don't have to leave, you know." It took everything in the world to just stand there and do the right thing.

"Yes you do. Your father's legacy is a little more important than staying on this ship with a disgruntled, ugly Prince. Besides, I guess it's better you not tell me where the Avatar is-I want to earn my honor back, not have it handed to me."

"Oh, you'll earn it, all right. Thanks for understanding. And for the record," she leaned forward and touched the scar over my eye with cool fingers, "You're not ugly." She let her hand linger and I stayed perfectly still. Uncle Iroh cleared his throat. We both stepped back awkwardly.

"Just be careful and remember your basics," he said, handing Lenara a wrapped package in a sealed jar, "some jasmine tea for the trip," he explained. She and my uncle embraced. They separated and my uncle nudged me. I turned, puzzled, as he handed me an old worn scroll. Ah, yes. That's Uncle Iroh, always ten steps ahead.

"Here," I held the scroll out to Lenara. She gave me an apprehensive look.

"I didn't know there would be a gift exchange. And here I am without…" she fell silent, the scroll stretched in her hands. Her eyes scanned the scroll, her expression hard to read. Iroh and I exchanged glances. She let out her breath as she spoke.

"Where did you find this?"

"In the Western Air Temple, below some of the debris."

"I…I can't believe you found this." She lowered the scroll so I could see the grey-green tones of the painting of Taro Hün-dai. The eyes gave it away.

"You said you were having trouble remembering his face, so perhaps this will help." She raised her head to look at me.

"This is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me." And before I knew it, she encircled her arms around me, pulling me to her, the scroll still clutched in her hand as her head rested on my shoulder. What could I say? I had wanted to do this kindness for her. I had heard people say they lived for another's happiness-it didn't seem so sappy now.

The wind suddenly raced over us, again it was strong and anxious. The Avatar. He was calling her away from me. For a brief moment, I could have killed that kid.

Lenara pulled away, leaving me with the ghost of her warmth. She dropped the scroll in a glass bottle at her side, then tossed it in her leather satchel. She turned to us both and bowed.

"Thanks again for all of your generosity. The journey was…interesting, but I think I was meant to take this trip."

"Next time we meet, we will play Pi-sho. I've got a strategy that will knock your socks off!" Iroh grinned.

"You wish, old man." Lenara smiled. She shifted her eyes to me.

"Thank you for the gift, Zuko. I'll never forget this."

"For everything you've done, for all your encouragement, I felt I owed you."

"You don't. You owe me nothing in return."

"Is that how you really feel?" She pulled her hand up to her arm, but I reached out and caught it in my own. I was through hesitating, but she spoke first.

"This is the only kind of love, as I understand it, that there really is." Her hand tore away from mine, she turned and sprinted for the bow. I buried my emotions and did the right thing: I let her go. The water rose up as she dived and it swallowed her from our sight. That was the last I saw of Lenara Hün-dai..

Uncle Iroh sighed. Then he clapped me on the back.

"You did the right thing, Prince Zuko."

"I hate doing the right thing, uncle. I always lose everything when I do."

"Oh, I don't know about that. She left you with a pretty good idea as to where the Avatar is going to be." He grinned at me. What conversation was he listening to?

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, she said 'all the fire in the world' wouldn't persuade her to speak the Avatar's location. Where is most of the fire in the world located?"

"The Fire Nation."

"Right. And perhaps she wasn't just mentioning the Fire Nation. Where does most of our fire come from?" I folded my arms.

"The volcanoes. But there are hundreds of them. Which one will the Avatar be at?"

"Think, nephew, or were you too busy figuring out she loves you? When she refused to reveal the location, she told you to 'just let it rest'."

"No, not 'it', uncle. _'HIM'._ Let him rest." I started to understand. Let him rest. Who was she talking about? I paced the deck. The Fire Nation, the volcanoes, the Avatar, let him rest…let someone rest in the Fire Nation volcano…

"Avatar Roku. They're going to the final resting place of Avatar Roku."

"Ah, yes. What better place to ring the Bell of the Avatar than at the grave of the previous Avatar?" Uncle Iroh mused. I brushed past him, striding towards the helmsman's tower. He had to jog to keep up.

I take it we're leaving now?" I smiled. 'Pretty clever, Lenara. You knew I would see you again.'

I woke the helmsman and ordered him to get us to top speed. I was going home…

"_On everything our choices depend, we stand on the brink everyday, and with this beginning comes an end, to mark the path and lead the way."—J.R.R. Tolkein_


	5. Chapter 5

**_Observations of a Water Bender_**

**_Sandalwood, salt_**

**_hot skin to be touched._**

**_an eye that glows red in_**

**_a socket full of pain._**

**_sixteen years of imperfection_**

**_has melted down into ambition_**

**_your autumn fire_**

**_burns me to an ember-_**

**_I'd give anything to know_**

**_the phantoms that haunt you_**

**_have finally taken flight._**

**_to settle for battle on this_**

**_moon soaked night_**

**_and realize, despite my best efforts_**

**_my suspicions of you were right._**

****

**_It's getting harder to hate you-_**

**_a villain with virtue._**


End file.
